What Causes Low Kidney Function in Women
… Continued …
Poor diet!
What you eat does have a role to keep your kidney healthy or ruin them. Since high blood pressure is the second leading cause of kidney failure, it’s always worth a try to pay attention on your dietary salt (sodium).
Too much salt increases blood pressure, and this is a nightmare for the health of your kidney function in long term. Add more spices and natural herbs to expand the flavor instead of salt!
And of course, controlling your healthy blood sugar level is also a must, even though if you’re not diabetic. Always go with moderation with any things containing sugar! Read ingredients, sugar is probably added to drinks or foods we don’t consider ‘sweet’.
Other culprits to restrict in a healthy-balanced diet for better kidney function:
- Unhealthy processed foods such as bacon, instant ramen, ketchup, and margarine. They are usually high in kidney-unhealthy things (especially high in salt and sugar).
- Foods high in cholesterol and saturated fats. Animal protein, red meat for example, can drive more acid production in the blood, making the kidney work harder.
- Overindulging in drinking alcohol. The kidneys filter waste products from your body, including alcohol. So they will work harder when you drink more alcohol. Moreover alcohol impairs the balance of electrolytes and water in the body, making kidney stones more likely.
Heart-unhealthy lifestyles
Almost anything that hurts your heart function would also ruin your kidneys. So it’s important to pay attention on your heart health.
For examples, the following heart-unhealthy lifestyles would also give an impact to the kidneys:
- Lack of physical activity (sedentary lifestyle). Exercise is a natural booster for your overall health, including for the health of your heart and kidneys.
- Obesity, a risk factor for heart and kidney problems.
- Poor stress management. Uncontrolled stress can take a serious toll on your heart and kidneys health.
What’s more?
Other bad habits that may induce low kidney function:
- Not getting enough Z’s at night. With lack of sleep and rest, the kidneys don’t get the rest they need. It’s also bad for your heart and blood pressure level.
- Lighting up. Tobacco smoke is the host of many harmful things for many organs in the body, including the kidneys.
- Sitting all day. Long periods of times on your chair may increase the risk of kidney disease — one study suggests [10].
- Lack of water (dehydration). Not enough drinking water is associated with high risk of kidney stones.
If you’re in doubt on your kidney function, see a doctor to get more advice. If necessary, tests are suggested to find out whether or not they’re OK in their function.
