The Common Habit That Could Be Damaging Your Kidneys, According to a Nephrologist

Emily Laurence
Updated ·4 min read
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You likely already know that regularly binge drinking can negatively impact the liver and staring at a screen all day every day isn’t exactly doing your eyes any favors. But what about your kidneys? Have you ever stopped to think about what habits could negatively affect them?

Most people don’t think about their kidneys until something is seriously wrong, but without healthy kidneys, it’s impossible to live. The human body has two kidneys located just below the ribcage, to the right and left of the spine. The kidneys serve as the body’s internal sewage system. They work to regulate water balance by keeping the water the body needs to function and releasing excess water to be eliminated through urination. The kidneys also produce two important hormones, one of which helps produce red blood cells and the other is the active form of vitamin D and helps regulate calcium.

Depending on your lifestyle, you could be supporting your kidneys or unintentionally harming them without even realizing it. Keep reading to find out what habit is especially damaging to the kidneys, how to keep them functioning properly, and signs that something could be wrong.

Related: 11 Things You Didn't Know About Your Kidneys

One Common Habit That Could Damage Your Kidneys

According to Dr. Kalyani Perumal, MD, a nephrologist as well as the system director and medical director of Bureau Wide Dialysis Services at Cook County Health, the kidneys are often “innocent bystanders” that get negatively impacted by unhealthy habits.

In other words, they can be getting damaged without the person doing the damage even realizing it. (At least for a while.) “They face the brunt of many habits that start early in life and continue through adult years,” Dr. Perumal says. This means that any unhealthy habit (such as smoking or vaping, excessive alcohol use, drug misuse, and being sedentary) isn’t good for the kidneys.

One common habit that Dr. Perumal says many people may not be aware of that damages the kidneys is eating an unhealthy diet. By this, she means primarily eating nutrient-void food (such as fatty or ultra-processed meat, processed baked foods and foods high in sugar) instead of nutrient-rich foods (like vegetables, fruit, whole grains and plant proteins).

“As children and teenagers, we get accustomed to consuming fast food because of our busy school life, stressful college years, multiple extracurricular activities and active social life. This becomes a habit, hard to let go even when we become aware of its deleterious effects on our health,” Dr. Perumal says. “This results in obesity, hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol in adult life all leading to the development of kidney disease.”

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Scientific studies show that a diet high in animal protein and low in vegetables and fruit increases the risk of chronic kidney disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 percent of U.S. adults have chronic kidney disease, a health condition in which the kidneys can’t filter blood as well as they should, causing excess fluid and blood to remain in the body. This can cause a cascade of other health problems, including heart disease and stroke.

Signs Your Kidneys Aren’t Functioning Properly

Dr. Perumal explains that what’s tricky about kidney health is that it’s hard to know that they’re being damaged until they’re in pretty bad shape. “Kidney disease is a silent killer, so many do not have any signs of kidney disease until they are in the late stages of the disease,” she says. For this reason, nine in 10 people with chronic kidney disease don’t know they have it.

“The earliest signs of kidney disease are detected only in blood and urine tests,” Dr. Perumal says. If you have hypertension, you should get your kidneys checked regularly because hypertension is the main cause of kidney disease. This is because as kidney function worsens, blood pressure levels rise.

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Dr. Perumal says that in advanced stages, people complain of excessive fatigue, altered taste sensation, swelling of legs, face and abdomen, itchy skin, poor sleep, cramping in the muscles, poor appetite and mental slowing.

Motivated to keep your kidneys healthy? Here’s the good news: All the healthy habits you likely are already aware of (such as eating a nutrient-rich diet, exercising regularly, not smoking or vaping, and minimizing alcohol use) help support your kidneys; you don’t need to do anything extra to care for them specifically.

If something is good for your body, it’s good for the whole body—kidneys included. So, next time you eat a nutrient-rich snack or take a walk around the block, know that it’s benefiting your body in many different ways. Multitasking has never been more helpful!

Next up, here's what you need to know about invisible illnesses, including how to know if you have one.

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