The benefits of the kidney diet are enormous.
Patients who have been diagnosed with early to late
kidney failure must follow a special diet in order to
slow deterioration and lessen their symptoms. Patients
who do not follow a special diet will inevitably see
their disease become worse more quickly. Patients
who do follow this diet usually feel better and can
prolong the use of their kidneys.
Precautions
People with any level of kidney failure should be
under medical supervision. Patients will usually need
to work closely with a renal dietician who can monitor
important levels of electrolytes, minerals, and fluids to
make sure that patients are maintaining proper nutrition
while limiting the load on their kidney and other
bodily systems. The diet for dialysis patients is especially
strict and should be taken extremely seriously in
order avoid further complications.
Risks
While there are risks to following the kidney diet
guidelines, they are usually far outweighed by the risks
of not following the guidelines. Patients should work
with a renal dietician to determine their specific requirements.
Dietary supplements will usually be needed to
maintain proper nutrition.
A concern for kidney patients is that they maintain
proper protein levels. Kidneys, when functioning
normally, remove urea, a waste product of protein,
from the bloodstream.When kidneys are not functioning
properly, urea can build up in the system and make
patients ill. Because of this patients with kidney failure
need to limit the amount of protein in their diets.
However, it is important for patients to not be overzealous
in their limiting of protein, because too getting
too little protein can also have serious health
consequences.
Patients with kidney disease also run the risk of
losing bone calcium due to high phosphorus levels. If
patients do not take a phosphate binder, phosphorus
in the blood will pull calcium from the bones, making
them weak and brittle.
Potassium levels are also important to people with
kidney disease. This mineral affects the steadiness of
the heartbeat and its level in the bloodstream is normally
kept steady by the kidneys. If there is too much
potassium in the blood it can be very dangerous for the
heart, and possibly even fatal.
Maintaining daily calorie intake is a concern for
patients following a kidney diet. With the great number
of restrictions placed on the kinds of foods a
person can eat it can be difficult for a patient to eat
enough calories each day. However if overall caloric
intake is not maintained at high enough levels the
patient can suffer body tissue breakdown.
If patients with later stages of kidney disease do
not pay close attention to their sodium and fluid
intake they have a serious risk of retaining water.
Fluid can build up and cause painful swelling and
weight gain. It also can cause blood pressure to rise
which can adversely affect the heart. Kidney disease
patients also have a greater risk of heart disease. Following
a low-fat diet will usually be necessary.
Research and general acceptance
The kidney diet is the accepted diet for people with
kidney disease, especially those patients who are on
dialysis. The is little or no debate that it is essential for
patients experiencing kidney failure to closely monitor
their diet. A doctor may also prescribe other treatments
in addition to a special diet.
