As a kidney doctor, I prescribe a lot of medications. My goal is to protect my patients’ kidneys through every way I know how. I also know that a lot of people want to protect their kidneys without using medications. That’s where these steps come into play.
How many of these steps are you taking? Are you willing to take more?
(Disclaimer – none of this is intended as medical advice, this is just information that allows you to keep informed as you talk to your doctor. Don’t make any changes before talking to them)
- Avoid medications that can damage your kidneys – most commonly I talk about the OC medications called NSAIDs. These are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications. Advil, ibuprofen, aleve, goody’s powder, meloxicam… Long term use of these medications may put the kidneys at risk so I recommend people talk to their doctor about whether they are safe to take for a long time. My advice with people at risk for CKD or with mild CKD (stage 1,2 or 3) is usually take the least amount that will get you through the day and take it only on days when you really need them. And, certain people with more advanced CKD I advise them to avoid them completely. This is not intended as medical advice, just for you to have some information when you talk to your doctor about kidney health and the safety of NSAIDs.
- Exercise – I looked to try to find data on what type of exercise and how much exercise will protect the kidneys and how much of a difference it will make, and I couldn’t find anything real detailed. Now, I think that’s likely because we haven’t had the right studies, and I believe that exercise is a miracle drug for all things body and mind. So, get exercising and moving (I don’t care what you do, just do it) as often as you can. Recent studies show that even a few minutes of fast walking or taking the stairs a day can make a difference in your overall health.
- Get checked – you can’t protect what you don’t know. There are often no signs or symptoms of kidney disease when it is in it’s earliest stages. Ask your doctor to check your blood and urine to see if you are at risk for kidney disease or if you have abnormal levels that need further evaluation by a kidney specialist.
- Supplements – Just like prescription medication can cause kidney problems, so can non-prescription medications – this is true even if you see lots of people taking a certain supplement on TikTok. For example, certain traditional chinese medicine most commonly the ones that contain aristolochic acids and alkaloid compounds can lead to different forms of kidney damage. I’m often asked if a certain compound is safe to take and most of the time the answer is I have no idea. Even though some of these things have been taken for thousands of years, they likely haven’t been studied on a large scale and at the concentrated doses that people often take now.
- Keep a healthy weight – Not only does obesity put you at risk for development of diabetes and high blood pressure, the most common causes of kidney disease, but it also can cause kidney disease on its own through a complicated process deep inside the filtering structures of the kidneys. Now, it’s easier said than done to maintain a healthy weight, but even if you keep your weight stable through diet and exercise, and keep your weight from going up year after year, that is a success.
- Drink water – Water is the healthiest thing for your body to drink. And, I’m not asking you to carry around a 100 ounce container of water so you’re going to the bathroom all day. I’m asking you to drink water when you’re thirsty rather than reaching for sugary drinks like soda, sweetened coffee drinks, energy drinks, juice and all that other junk.
- Eat for your kidneys – I wrote a whole book on the subject and here’s the 30 second summary. If you want to protect your kidneys, learn to cook at home, use herbs, vinegars, spices and citrus to flavor your foods without salt, avoid eating out at fast foods, choose lower sugar drinks and foods, focus on plant based proteins, and #change your taste buds over time so you can appreciate foods that aren’t heavily favored with salt, fat, and sugar.
- Maintain control of your diabetes – over time, high blood sugars can damage kidneys and put you at risk of CKD. So avoid those high sugar foods, work with your doctor and keep your A1c down if you have diabetes.
- Quit smoking or at least smoke less – In a Korean population study in 2019, The risk of needing dialysis or a kidney transplant was directly proportional to the smoking duration, number of cigarettes smoked daily, and pack-years. So in this study the more you smoke, the more your likelihood of developing kidney failure. Talk to your doctor about strategies to quick smoking.
- Know your family history – If your mom, dad, aunts, uncles, cousins or anyone in your close family developed kidney failure, you’re at risk too. So if you know you’re at risk it’s even more important for you to get your kidneys checked and start being proactive in the things you are doing to protect your kidneys.
