A physician, Dr Olukunle Teemi has urged Nigerians most especially dietitians to abstain from foods that contain too much protein as it can increase the risk of kidney disease.
The medical professional who gave this charge on Tuesday morning in a chat with the Daily Post, revealed other lifestyles practices that could affect one’s kidney.
Dr Olakunle noted that failure to have a lifestyle change may be attributed to the current realities in the country, but also advocated that with determination, lifestyle could be achieved as moderation is the key.
He revealed that insufficient water intake can lead to less blood flow to the kidneys because the kidney just like other parts of the body needs enough water.
He said, “If there is less blood flow, your blood becomes thick, hindering the ability to remove toxins from your body. Of course, you know that passing out urine is a way of removing toxins from your body and you need enough water to achieve this. Another benefit of drinking water a lot is that it’ll make you lose weight faster.
“I know we all need painkillers sometimes. Some conditions can be so painful that you will have to resort to painkiller. That is okay, but some people actually make it a habit to take it all the time to reduce swelling, fever, and control pain. Sadly, painkillers or analgesics are bad for the kidneys.
“Sugar consumption is also another enemy of the kidney because it can lead to decreased kidney functioning. A lot of people are guilty of this. Avoid sugary drinks to keep your kidney healthy.”
According to him, “emptying the bowel is always a good means of evacuating waste products from the body system and not emptying the bowel when pressed is an invitation to kidney failure which may begin unnoticed but with time can get worse.
“Ingestion of too much salt is another area where people have to watch out for. Most men are guilty of this because they are never satisfied with the amount of salt in their meal.
“Consuming too much salt on a regular basis is bad for your health. Our kidneys break down 95% of sodium from the food we eat. This means that high salt intake makes the kidneys to work harder just to remove the salt. This can in turn lead to poor kidney functioning and increased water retention.”
He also maintained that other lifestyles that also affect the kidney include smoking and alcohol consumption.
“Smoking is bad for your health including your organs such as the kidneys. This can also lead to hypertension which leads to reduced blood flow in the kidneys.
“Excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages can eventually kill the kidneys and cause harm to health.”