By taking care of your kidneys, you’ll be helping the rest of your body to stay healthy too.
Why are kidneys important?
Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of your fist. They’re located near the middle of your back, just below your rib cage.
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- Adults have 7 to 8 litres of blood, which is constantly being filtered by the kidneys about 400 times per day. Many waste products are toxic (poisonous) if they’re not removed from the body fluids. When the kidneys are working properly, excess minerals, such as sodium and potassium, are excreted from the body in the urine. The kidneys also help regulate the levels of other minerals, such as calcium and phosphate, which are important for the formation of bone.
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- Kidneys remove excess water from the body or help retain water when the body needs more.
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- Normal kidneys make important chemical “messengers” called hormones. These hormones circulate in the bloodstream and regulate certain body functions such as blood pressure, the making of red blood cells and the uptake of calcium from the intestine.
How to help prevent kidney disease
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- Keep your blood pressure at the target set by your health care provider. For most people, an ideal blood pressure reading is less than 140/90. High blood pressure is one of the most common causes of kidney failure because it can damage both the large arteries leading to your kidneys and the tiny blood vessels (glomeruli) within the kidneys.
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- If you have diabetes, control your blood glucose level. One of the causes of kidney failure is diabetes mellitus, a condition characterised by high blood glucose (sugar) levels. Over time, the high levels of sugar in the blood damage the millions of tiny filtering units within each kidney.
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- Keep an eye on your cholesterol levels.
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- Take medicines exactly the way your doctor or pharmacist tells you to and follow all instructions on the label to make sure that you’re not taking anything that may harm your kidneys. Make sure every doctor that you see knows about all of the medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements you take. This means anything you take with or without a prescription.
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- Cut back on salt. Aim for less than one teaspoon per day.
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- Choose foods that are healthy for your heart such as fresh fruits, fresh or frozen vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy foods.
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- Limit your alcohol intake and if you smoke, stop. Tobacco and alcohol make your kidneys work harder, which can damage them.
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- Be more physically active.
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- Lose weight if you’re overweight.
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- Drink plenty of water. Two early signs of dehydration are thirst and dark coloured urine. In a temperate climate, men need roughly about 13 cups (3 litres) of liquids per day and women need about 9 cups (2.2 litres) per day.
Sources
www.kidney.ca
www.mayoclinic.org
www.medicinenet.com
www.webmd.com