On the occasion of World Kidney Day, here are some tips recommended by experts to keep your kidneys healthy in summer.
The kidneys are important bodily organs that are essential for removing waste and excess fluid from the blood. In addition, they produce hormones that stimulate red blood cell production, control blood pressure, and maintain electrolyte balance. Kidney disease, on the other hand, is a silent killer that often goes unnoticed until it’s too late. Everyone around the world must identify kidney diseases as major health problems. This year’s theme is “Kidney Health for All”.
The World Kidney Day Joint Steering Committee has declared 2022 the year of “Kidney Health for All”. Specifically, it calls on all of us to work to close the knowledge gaps for better kidney care. The 2022 campaign will focus on efforts to increase education and awareness about kidney health. Here are some expert-recommended tips for healthy kidneys in the summer.
Tips to keep your kidneys healthy and prevent silent killers:
- The most important thing we can do to keep our kidneys healthy is to drink enough water. Generally, you should drink 2 to 3 liters of water a day. This requirement may increase in case it is hot and we are dehydrated. Fluid intake can be in any form like juices, coconut water etc. but most of fluid intake comes in the form of pure drinking water.
- If we drink less water, our kidneys will have a hard time excreting waste products from our body. In fact, drinking less water puts us at risk of becoming dehydrated and developing acute kidney injury. This is often seen in conditions of heat exposure, such as hot weather conditions, as well as extreme physical activity, such as marathon runners, if they don’t drink enough water.
- In summer, the risk of acute diarrheal diseases is also higher, so it is very important that the food and water we consume is from a clean and hygienic source.
- Athletes and marathon runners should be more careful in summers as the risk of dehydration is higher. In case of dehydration due to heat exposure or gastroenteritis, it is important to seek medical help before the kidneys are affected. The usual line of treatment in such cases is to replenish body water losses and correct dehydration.
- Therefore, adequate water intake is essential to maintain good kidney health and general well-being.
(Inputs: Dr. Mohit Khirbat, Consultant, Nephrology, CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram)
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