Written By: Bhavyajyoti Chilukoti | Updated: March 12, 2015, 10:41 AM
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Although your kidneys filter all the blood in your body every 30 minutes, their filtration capacity tends to decline as you age. Your kidney function reduces by 10% every decade after you reach 30. A good enough reason for you to decrease the load on your kidneys before it’s too late. Here are 13 things that you come across in your daily life that increases your risk of kidney disease.
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Sugar: Being loaded with fructose, excessive consumption of sugar promotes formation of uric acid, which in turn increases the risk of cardiorenal diseases. These diseases are a class of diseases that affect the kidney function and the cardiovascular system as well.
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Soft drinks: If you are habituated to consuming at least two soft drinks everyday, you might be at a risk of suffering from proteinuria. In this condition, there is increased excretion of protein in the urine, which in turn signifies kidney damage.
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Artificial food colours: Do you add artificial colours while preparing biryani or ladoos to make them more appealing? If yes, stop using them, now. Common artificial colours namely auramine, metanil yellow, rhodamine and sudan dyes are known to cause retarded growth and damage your kidney.
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Protein-rich foods: A high-protein diet increases the burden on your kidneys as they eliminate urea from your body, which in turn leads to kidney damage. Also, if the body is under ketosis, there is increased excretion of calcium, which can lead to kidney stones.
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Salt: It contains sodium, which causes your blood pressure to increase. Since kidneys play a role in regulating BP, high salt intake affects kidney function and is the leading contributor of kidney failure cases.
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Painkillers: If you have a habit of popping pills every time you have a minor pain, fever or cold, then you are doing more harm than good to your body. Long-term use or high dose of certain painkillers can harm the kidney tissues, reduce the flow of blood to the kidneys, thereby, leading to kidney damage or kidney failure.
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Junk food: Here is another reason to avoid munching on junk food. As kidneys filter harmful toxins from the blood, eating a lot of junk food has a direct effect on the function of kidneys.
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Alcohol: Excessive alcohol consumption leads to uric acid deposition in kidney tubules. This causes obstruction of tubules, increasing the risk of kidney failure and kidney diseases. Also, the electrolyte balance of your body and hormones that influence your kidney function are disturbed due to excess consumption of alcohol.
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Dehydration: The hot and humid days of summer may increase your risk of kidney stones. This is because higher temperatures contribute to dehydration, which in turn causes higher concentration of calcium in the body, thereby, leading to kidney stones. So stay hydrated this season!
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Meat: You are three times more likely to develop kidney failure by eating meat-rich diets (also known as high acid diets). Hence, limit your intake of meats and increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables to protect your kidneys.
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Sauces: They are an indispensable ingredient when it comes to preparing pastas, pizzas and noodles. However, they are packed with sodium, which can cause high blood pressure and also lead to a higher risk of developing kidney diseases. So replace sauces with more vegetables and spices to reap numerous health benefits.
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Vitamin C supplements: According to a research conducted by Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, daily consumption of vitamin C supplements by men doubles the risk of suffering from kidney stones. This is because some of the vitamin C absorbed by your body is excreted in urine as oxalate, one of the key components of kidney stones.
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Skin lightening products: Most skin lightening products contain hydroquinone or mercury. These two main chemicals might lead to kidney failure and mercury poisoning since the metal accumulates slowly within the skin cells.
