Your kidneys are two small, bean-shaped organs that sit below the ribs on either side of the spine. Roughly the size of a fist, kidneys are in charge of filtering the blood and removing toxic substances from the food we eat, expelling these toxins out in the form of waste products. Kidneys also help maintain the delicate balance of fluids in the body.
If our kidneys are not working properly, our body cannot function. The breakdown of kidneys can lead to Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), an umbrella term that covers various conditions that damage your kidneys and decrease their performance ability.
CKD can lead to complications like high blood pressure, low blood count, weak bones, poor nutrition and nerve damage, and can increase the risk of heart and blood vessel diseases. The damage caused by CKD occurs over a long period of time, and if left untreated, may lead to eventual kidney failure, which is treated by renal dialysis and kidney transplant.
The two main causes of CKD are high blood pressure and diabetes, and the various symptoms include fatigue, insomnia, muscle cramping, swollen feet and ankles, lack of appetite, trouble concentrating, puffy eyes, itchy skin and the frequent need to urinate.
Anyone can be at risk of potential kidney disease, but maintaining a healthy lifestyle can dramatically decrease your risk. It’s important to know what can cause kidney damage, and here are the 20 that might surprise you.
11. Vegetables
The vegetables are an important part of getting a healthy diet. They contain the necessary nutrients for your body to function well. However, too much of these nutrients can be harmful. There are a few fruits and vegetables such as sweet potatoes, beet green, yam and brown mushrooms which have high amounts of potassium.
The kidneys are capable of managing your normal potassium levels. However, they are not to do that with the extreme levels of potassium. The amount of potassium in the blood is normally low when compared to that within the various cells in the body.
When the amount of potassium builds up in your body, they lead to a high concentration level in the blood. The high levels of potassium in your body can cause the cell damage, metabolic and kidney problems. In some cases, it can result in the irregular heartbeats and even the heart can stop working.
The symptoms of the high levels of potassium are not easy to be seen. When they happen, unfortunately, it will mean that the potassium is already at a significantly high level. Some of the symptoms include muscular weakness that may lead to paralysis. The amount of potassium can only be determined when you go for a medical check-up with your doctor. However, it may go unnoticed if you don’t go for a regular medical check-up.
Those who already have a kidney problem, this is a routine test. It is checked if you have a medical condition that may result in raised potassium. If you are taking specific drugs that can raise the level of potassium, you may be tested for it.
If you have bad kidneys, avoid excess amounts of bananas, raisins, prunes, collard greens, cantaloupe, tomatoes, potatoes, beet green, yam and brown mushrooms. These foods may worsen your condition.
12. Excess Painkillers
It’s normal to take the painkillers whenever you are feeling pain. Most people take these painkillers without realizing the long-term side effects that they can cause. In what is called an analgesic, it’s any medicine that is taken to relieve you of pain. Over the counter, analgesics include aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen sodium. These medicines are not dangerous to the body when taken moderately due to your medical condition.
However, they can become dangerous to your kidneys if taken over a long period. An increased amount can be fatal to the kidneys especially when taken over an extended period of time. This occurs when you have a chronic problem that requires the drugs to be taken in. It is a challenge when there is a medical condition that will leave you with no other choice.
Most of the medicines that can potentially cause the kidney damage is excreted through the kidneys. This happens because the liver does not break them. It is the same when waste products are passed out through urine. Analgesic has been linked to two types of kidney damage. They can cause acute a renal failure and chronic kidney disease known as analgesic nephropathy.
However, these kidney problems normally happen when you are taking high amounts and over an extended period. For instance, research has shown that the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can cause kidney problems. It’s believed that 3 percent of chronic kidney diseases each year are caused by taking too many of these drugs such as ibuprofen. This applies to the over-the-counter and prescription drugs.
These drugs can become harmful to your kidneys if improperly taken. It’s important to consult your doctor for the prescription or don’t take more than one packaging. Taking more than one package will encourage you to take in more than the required dose.
13. Fish
Fish is a favorite food for most people. It is a great source of the nutrients that are required by the body. However, some of the fish such as sardines have a high content of purines. Purines can be hazardous to the kidneys when taken in high amounts.
The sardines have a high content of purine. This later develops into uric acid in the urine and as a result, form the uric acid stones. Therefore, purine-rich foods may cause calcium oxalate stone in your body.
If you are at higher risk of getting uric acid stones, the compounds can harm your body. A high level of purine can increase the amount of uric acid in the urine. This leads to the development of uric acid stones. This condition can be painful and will require immediate medical attention.
According to the study done by the American Urological Association, they linked intake of purine to health problems. When you take the high amount of purine from fish such as sardines it can lead to hyperruricemia and hyperuricosuria in healthy individuals without stones. They went further and associated purine-rich foods with stimulation of calcium oxalate. They explained that this was due to an increasing amount of calcium that was excreted.
The good thing is that sardines are the greatest source of essential omega-3 fatty acids. These acids are important to your well-being. Finding a better source of omega-3 fatty acids can be challenging. They are able to avoid contamination from some compounds such as mercury which is toxic to your body.
If you like sardines, you need to limit eating them to once or twice a week. There are other purine-rich foods available including anchovies, organ meats, bacon, scallops, shrimp and baker’s yeast. These type of foods should be avoided if you stand a higher risk of getting the kidney problems.
14. Spinach
It cannot be denied that spinach is one of the favorite foods to most people. It provides a lot of benefits to the body. Some of the advantages of eating them include the nutrients, fiber content, and minerals. The fiber plays a significant role in the digestive system by providing the bulk necessary to prevent constipation.
However, spinach has a high content of a compound called oxalate. This compound is harmful to the kidneys. It binds to minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and iron before being excreted. The body eliminates it from the system through the urine or stool as a waste product.
This compound is a component of the calcium oxalate, kidney stones. It has been recommended that by reducing the intake of oxalate in spinach, you avoid kidney problems. Therefore, most people decrease the urinary oxalate to prevent the kidney stones.
The 2008 report by the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology Studies, was based on their research on the kidney problems. The results indicated that there is a higher level of urine oxalate in some people. It states that increased urine oxalate levels were found in people such as those who were obese and those suffering from diabetes.
It went on to say that the younger adults had higher levels when they were compared to the older adults. Another finding was that the higher calcium in the diet was related to lower levels of urine oxalate. Lastly, it concluded that the higher vitamin C was linked to higher levels.
Reducing intake of oxalate in spinach can help you to prevent a medical condition. When hyperoxaluria is linked to increased gut absorption of oxalate, restriction of oxalate is helpful to your kidneys. You will need to avoid eating spinach. Studies have shown that 50 percent of individuals with idiopathic hyperoxaluria and medical history of kidney stones can reduce urinary oxalate. This can be decreased to normal levels by avoiding spinach.
15. Exposure to Contrast Dyes commonly used in Imaging
When you go for the blood test, doctors conduct an imaging test to examine your blood vessels. They inject into the blood vessels a chemical called a contrast dye. This is used in cases such as in CT scan with contrast, coronary or heart x-ray. This enables the doctors to see specifically where there is a blocked blood vessel. Furthermore, they can see other problems in the other organs.
It is a procedure that is very significant for diagnosis. It will be impossible to see exactly your problem if it’s not done. They use the dye to see what they will be treating you for. However, this dye can have serious implications to the kidneys. The effect of this dye is referred to as an induced nephropathy.
Studies indicate that between 1% and 3% of individuals who receive this dye, their kidneys are affected by it. Everyone is prone to it but the greatest risk falls on those with the chronic kidney disease. If you have diabetes, the elderly and chronic heart failure, you risk having your kidneys affected. Although induced nephropathy is rare, you can prevent it from happening. It is vital for your doctors to check your kidneys before undergoing radiology procedures. This should be done even to those who don’t have any kidney problems.
There are various ways you can prevent this from affecting your kidneys. Don’t hesitate to ask your doctor to measure your kidney function. By ensuring that you strictly follow the instructions about drinking fluids before going for the tests will help you. Don’t delay to find out from the doctor when it would be suitable to stop taking certain painkillers.
There are some drugs that can cause the kidney problems by reducing the blood flow to the kidneys. Contrast dye also decreases the kidney blood flow and these medications should not be used together. The kidneys are the unsung heroes of the human body. Without them, we can’t survive. It’s important to make the right decisions when it comes to the foods we eat and the lifestyles we lead, in order to allow them to function correctly.
