How to Keep Your Kidneys Healthy as You Age


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"Although your kidneys make up less than 0.5 percent of your total body weight, they receive close to 25 percent of the total amount of blood that your heart pumps while you're resting. Also, your kidneys use up about 20 to 25 percent of your body’s supply of oxygen.


Why do your kidneys – such small organs – receive so much of your blood and oxygen? Because they are responsible for five critical functions:
  1. Your kidneys keep your blood clean by filtering it of waste products and eliminating these waste products from your body as urine.
  2. Your kidneys help maintain a proper balance of fluids throughout your body.
  3. Your kidneys secrete a hormone called erythropoietin, which is responsible for stimulating the production of red blood cells in your bone marrow.
  4. Your kidneys produce an enzyme called renin, which is needed to help maintain your blood pressure.
  5. Your kidneys convert vitamin D to its most active form.

I hope it’s clear that drinking large amounts of water when you’re not thirsty is a good recipe for prematurely wearing down your kidneys as you age. Your body is not like a plumbing tube that gets cleaner by flushing large amounts of water through it. A number of your organs, including your kidneys, are designed to keep your body clean by continuously eliminating waste materials. If you want to prevent illness as you age, a top priority should be to prevent unnecessary burden to your kidneys and other waste-eliminating organs.

Beyond using your sense of thirst to dictate how much water and water-rich foods you ingest, here are two important ways to protect your kidneys from prematurely breaking down.
1. Don’t eat too much protein.
2. Don’t take over-the-counter pain pills on a regular basis.
Please remember that the best "medicine" for all of your organs, your kidneys included, is eating a plant-based, minimally processed diet, getting enough physical and emotional rest, getting regular exposure to fresh air and sunlight (without getting burned), and being physically active."


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