The occurrence of chronic kidney disease largely depends on a person’s lifestyle. Mikhail Eliseev, general practitioner and nephrologist at SM-Clinic, told socialbites.ca that the kidneys are one of the body’s natural filtering systems, and therefore they are greatly affected by the consumption of potentially harmful products.
First of all, in his opinion, this is the abundance of salty foods. When you consume too much salt, your kidneys have to work harder to remove excess sodium from the body. This can cause fluid retention in the body, resulting in edema and high blood pressure. The doctor stated that there is a lot of salt in pickles, fast food and processed foods.
“Another product that harms the kidneys is alcohol. The urinary system removes the relevant toxic substances from the body. At the same time, the burden on the kidneys increases significantly. Acetaldehyde (the breakdown product of ethanol) is particularly harmful to renal tubular cells. Over time, renal structures become damaged, glomerular filtration becomes difficult and chronic renal failure develops,” Eliseev added.
Also, eating too much meat can lead to kidney problems. Animal proteins are much more difficult to digest, which complicates the process of removing waste products. A diet rich in animal proteins promotes the formation of kidney stones. Meat also contains large amounts of purines, which stimulate the production of uric acid.
“As you know, dairy products are a source of calcium. However, if you consume too much of them, high concentrations of calcium begin to appear in the urine. This significantly increases the likelihood of developing urolithiasis,” said the specialist.
He also drew attention to the damage that excessive consumption of various types of fat, which are sources of high amounts of cholesterol and fat, can cause to the organ. Their active use over time affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system, which can lead to the development of renal pathology (hypertensive nephroangiosclerosis).
“Also worth mentioning are bananas and avocados. Consuming too much of these fruits can be dangerous due to their potassium content. Like sodium, excess potassium is difficult to remove from the body. As a result, this can lead to problems in the functioning of the kidneys, muscle spasms, problems in the functioning of the heart (e.g. arrhythmia),” added the nephrologist.
used to be a doctor in the name Symptoms of a dangerous adrenal disease.