Living a poor quality of life or being unable to manage conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure can be harmful for your kidneys in the long run. The more number of poor habits you have, the worse it will be your kidneys. Though the damage to the kidneys doesn't happen overnight but you need to change your bad habits today. Not drinking enough water in a day, constantly holding yourself when you want to pee, indulging excessively in your sweet tooth and not maintaining your blood pressure can be some of the contributing factors to kidney damage.
Here are other factors which can possibly harm your kidneys:
1. Consuming an excess of proteins
Consuming too much protein-rich food, especially red meat can damage to your kidneys. Toxins like nitrogen and ammonia are released by kidneys through a protein source. Consuming protein in excessive quantities makes kidneys to perform hyperfiltration and kidney damage.
However, protein restriction in case of kidney damage may not be vital for Indians. Dr Vijay says that Indians consume a diet which has comparatively lesser protein than the westerners. "I don't think Indians with kidney ailments need that kind of protein restriction like the westerners," he explains.
Elaborating on his stance, he adds, "Indians are not heavy protein takers. We are vegetarians by and large and even our non-vegetarian counterparts don't consume protein in that high quantity. We are chapatti eaters with more curry as compared to meat. But unfortunately, when patients develop kidney diseases, doctors tell them to restrict their protein intake. And by the time patients reach the stage of dialysis, they become extremely malnourished."
Dr Vijay suggests that vegetarian patients suffering from kidney damage need not restrict protein in their diet. "Good quality protein in a vegetarian diet comes only from milk products. Wheat, pulses are all poor quality of protein. In fact, there is a need to modify the way we have these proteins. Protein restriction leads to malnutrition, which increases outcomes of anything that we do to kidney patients," he says.
2. Being deficient in vitamins
Research have reported that being deficient in Vitamin B6 and Vitamin D can increase the risk of kidney damage and kidney stones. According to Delhi-based nephrologist Dr Vikay Kher, kidneys play an important role as far as Vitamin D is concerned. "Vitamin D is activated by the kidney. It is an inactive vitamin which is synthesised in the liver. It affects bone health and that's why patients with kidney diseases have bone diseases," he says.
3. Not drinking enough water
It is extremely important to drink lots of water to regulate flow of fluids in the kidneys. Maintaining proper levels of hydration in the body makes kidneys flush out toxins. Drinking enough water has been listed as an essential requirement for optimum kidney health by the US-based National Kidney Foundation.
4. Trying to hold it in when you want to pee
If you don't pee when it is nature's call, the body tends to hold the toxins it was supposed to flush. If you do this too often, it can lead to kidney stones.
5. Consuming too much salt
Too much sodium in your diet, be it in the form of salt in your cooking or through other hidden sources, can be a cause of worry, especially if you are prone to tendencies of high blood pressure. There are numerous snacks, canned, packaged and junk food, which contain sodium in concentrated quantities. Try and opt for fresh sources of food like fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts or other homemade snacks to keep your sodium intake under control.
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