A healthy diet and hydration are the cornerstones of nutrition , but how your body eliminates waste is just as important as what you eat. Your kidneys remove waste from your body, among other important and complex functions. Although we focus a lot of attention on the health of other specific organs, such as the heart and liver, learning how to nourish the kidneys is fundamental to optimal health.
What your kidneys do:
- waste removal through urine
- balance fluid levels
- Release hormones to help maintain normal blood pressure
- Activates Vitamin D for Bone Health
- control red blood cell production
The kidneys regulate many of the body’s major functions to maintain overall health. That’s why kidney health is so important to keeping your body in top shape.
Learn about kidney function, the relationship between vitamin D and kidney health, and how to take care of your kidneys, including the nutrients you need for optimal health.
The role of the kidneys
Clench your hands into a fist, which is about the size of your kidney. You were born with two kidneys, located in the lower back, just below the border of the ribs. They are slightly different sizes, with your right kidney being smaller and sitting lower to give your liver room to move.
To make it easier for you to understand how the kidneys work, you can think of it this way: blood is filtered through the kidneys and returned to the circulatory system via the renal veins, and waste enters the bladder through the ureters.
We can gain a deeper understanding of the kidney from an anatomical perspective. Your kidneys are made up of millions of nephrons. The nephron is the basic unit of kidney structure and function. They filter plasma to produce urine while simultaneously absorbing water, sodium and glucose back into the circulatory system .
Each nephron consists of a renal corpuscle (the part of the kidney that filters blood) and a renal tubule (an auxiliary system that collects filtered blood). Blood first enters the kidney corpuscles and then to the filtering spaces called the glomeruli. The glomerulus has a special barrier that keeps blood cells, proteins, and large molecules in the blood, while pushing water, ions, and small molecules out of the blood. This is the first step in producing urine.
At this point, the soon-to-be urine contains most of the water and electrolytes that were previously in the blood, and the blood is therefore deprived of these nutrients. The kidney tubules return most of the water, electrolytes, and other nutrients to the blood, leaving behind water, urea, and other waste products.
This is one reason why staying hydrated is important. Without enough water, the kidneys will have a hard time filtering everything out and returning necessary nutrients to the bloodstream.
After filtration is complete, the blood leaves the kidneys through the renal veins and returns to the heart. Waste and toxins are drawn from the blood through the ureters to the bladder to be excreted in the form of urine.
not just filters
It is vital to maintain balance in life, and your kidneys help promote balance in the circulatory system. The kidneys help regulate the volume of extracellular fluid, which is important for ensuring blood flow to vital organs.
Extracellular fluids include interstitial fluid, plasma, and lymph. The kidneys also control osmotic pressure and ion concentration, ensuring that the extracellular fluid does not become too thin or too thick. A major contributor to proper fluid transport is osmotic pressure, the pressure that moves extracellular fluid across membranes.
This ensures consistent levels of key ions (charged atoms or molecules) such as sodium, potassium, and calcium . The kidneys also help regulate the pH of the plasma, which prevents the blood from becoming too acidic or alkaline.
Finally, the kidneys produce erythropoietin (EPO). Erythropoietin is the main component in the production of red blood cells. It acts like a shield, protecting red blood cells during infancy, which in turn stimulates stem cells in the bone marrow to increase production of extra red blood cells. Since red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body, maintaining proper levels of erythropoietin is extremely important to maintain the production of healthy new red blood cells.
Vitamin D and Kidney Health
Vitamin D is often referred to as the “sunshine vitamin” because it is produced in the skin in response to sunlight. The kidneys convert vitamin D into useful nutrients for the body. People can get vitamin D from two sources: exposure to ultraviolet B radiation from the sun and diet, such as food and nutritional supplements.
The kidneys pull vitamin D from the blood and send it to the skeletal system. Vitamin D is important for many reasons . An example is that it helps regulate calcium and phosphate levels in the body, maintaining healthy and normal levels. Specifically, vitamin D helps promote the intestinal absorption of healthy calcium. When you have optimal calcium levels in your body, it supports healthy bones, teeth and muscles.
By learning about vitamin D, you also better understand why learning how to take care of your kidneys benefits other vital organs and systems in your body.
Kidney protection tips
You know a little about how your kidneys work. Now, let’s explore how to maintain optimal kidney health. Taking care of the kidneys can benefit the rest of the body. Simple lifestyle changes can go a long way in promoting kidney health and improving overall health.
- Add water
Water is essential to good health, and it also helps the kidneys to function more efficiently. Drinking eight glasses of water a day helps the kidneys absorb the fluids necessary to rid the body of excess sodium and toxins.
However, eight glasses of water is not an absolute recommended amount. In reality, the exact amount of water your body needs depends on your health and lifestyle. An indicator of adequate fluid intake is straw-colored urine. If your urine is too dark, it could be a sign of dehydration; if it’s too clear, you’re drinking too much water.
- monitor blood pressure
The kidneys play a major role in regulating blood pressure. A healthy blood pressure reading is between 90 / 60 mmHg and 120 / 80 mmHg. Exceeding this index will be considered as elevated blood pressure. Your circulatory system and kidneys work together to maintain a balanced and healthy level of blood. If you have any questions about your blood pressure, please contact your doctor or healthcare professional.
- Maintain normal, healthy blood sugar
Keeping blood sugar in a normal healthy range helps maintain kidney and overall health. Your kidneys are already working hard to filter nutrients from your blood back into your body and remove waste products. Therefore, maintaining blood sugar in the normal range can make the kidneys work more smoothly.
- maintain regular exercise
While you can’t stretch your kidneys, you can maintain them by walking, swimming or biking for 150 minutes a week. From forest hikes to dancing, these can help you maintain your ideal weight and avoid putting extra strain on your kidneys. Being overweight can raise blood pressure and harm the kidneys. Regular exercise can have amazing benefits for your waistline and overall health .
- eat a healthy diet
Diet and exercise complement each other to protect the health of the body. But if you really value your kidneys, you can go on a low-sodium diet. The kidneys have a hard time filtering excess sodium from the body. Consider eating a diet rich in fresh vegetables, fruits, fish and whole grains . Avoid foods that are bad for your kidneys, such as processed meats, too much dairy, and packaged foods.
- no smoking
You’ve probably heard a thousand reasons to quit smoking, and here’s one more: Nicotine is bad for blood pressure, so it’s bad for your kidney health.
Do you know?
- You can live on only one kidney . You are born with approximately 1.5 million nephrons, approximately 750,000 nephrons per kidney. You only need 300,000 nephrons per day to filter your blood.
- The heart pumps blood and the kidneys filter impurities . Your kidneys filter half a cup of blood every minute, or about 45 gallons of blood per day.
- The two kidneys are not the same . The kidneys are asymmetrical organs. The right kidney is smaller and sits lower than the larger left kidney, leaving enough room for the liver to function.
- artificial kidney . Dutch doctor Willem Kolff built the first dialysis machine out of sausage casings, orange juice cans and a washing machine. Uses the rotational power of the washing machine to filter the pumped blood.
- Drink plenty of water . Too much water can cause hyponatremia, which is a symptom that occurs when the body is overhydrated, diluting the sodium that the kidneys can’t get rid of.
- Kidney transplant . In 1954, Joseph E. Smith performed the first successful kidney transplant in Boston, Massachusetts.
Start taking care of your kidneys today
A kidney-healthy lifestyle supports overall health. A balanced diet combined with exercise is critical to maintaining kidney health. While maintaining the kidneys, it can also help other systems in the body. While you are protecting your kidneys, it also has great benefits for your digestive system, heart and immune system .
Our bodies are complex and complete, and the kidneys are important to maintaining your overall health. The kidneys are also delicate and complex organs that help keep the body in balance. Start by maintaining a healthy blood pressure within the normal range, which helps your kidneys function more smoothly.