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Flushing out the salty facts on kidney health

With March bringing us Salt Awareness Week (8-14 March), World Kidney Day (11 March) and Kidney Awareness Week (15-21 March), we thought we’d take a closer look at how salt impacts on your kidney health.

What do kidneys do?

Most people are born with two kidneys. The organs are shaped like a bean and sit in your abdomen, below the ribs at the back. They are around the size of your fist and each kidney weighs around 150 grams.

Kidneys are a very important part of your overall health. Their main function is to filter out waste products, excess water, and other impurities from your blood and turn these into urine.

Not only that, but they also help to keep your blood pressure regular and manage your body’s production of Vitamin D, which is crucial for maintaining strong bones and producing red blood cells that carry oxygen around your body.

Kidneys are one of the hardest working organs in your body. They clean around 200 litres of blood per day, with your entire blood supply cycling through your kidneys at a rate of around 12 times per hour!

Kidney Disease

When your kidneys don’t function as well as they should, waste gradually builds up in your body and can result in kidney disease.

Kidney disease impacts 1.7 million Australians each year. Most kidney disease occurs gradually, over several years. It often goes undetected in the early stages. In fact, people can lose up to 90 percent of kidney function before any symptoms appear.

What are the symptoms of kidney disease?

While symptoms of kidney disease are often rare, there are some noticeable signs of reduced kidney function. These include:

  • High blood pressure;
  • Changes in the amount and number of times urine is passed;
  • Changes in the appearance of your urine (for example, frothy or foaming urine)
  • Blood in your urine;
  • Puffiness in your legs, ankles, or around your eyes;
  • Pain in your kidney area;
  • Tiredness;
  • Loss of appetite;
  • Difficulty sleeping;
  • Headaches;
  • Lack of concentration;
  • Itching;
  • Shortness of breath;
  • Nausea and vomiting;
  • Bad breath and a metallic taste in your mouth;
  • Muscle cramps;
  • Pins and needles in your fingers and toes.

There are a number of other factors that can also increase your risk of developing kidney disease.

These include:

  • Diabetes;
  • High blood pressure;
  • Established heart problems (including heart failure, heart attack or stroke);
  • A family history of kidney disease or kidney failure;
  • Obesity;
  • Smoking;
  • Being aged 60 years or older;
  • Being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin; and
  • A history of acute kidney injury.

To see if you are at risk of developing kidney disease, take the Kidney Risk Test>>

If you experience any of the symptoms or risk factors outlined above or are concerned about your kidney health, make sure you see your GP sooner, rather than later.

The good news is that when kidney disease is detected early, changes to lifestyle, diet and medication can be implemented to help prevent any further damage.

How does salt impact on kidney health?

We all know that too much salt is bad for our health, but did you know that one of the reasons for this is the impact it can have on our kidney health?

Eating too much salt can make it harder for your kidneys to do their job in removing excess fluid. This extra fluid can build up and result in increased blood pressure and may also result in shortness of breath and swelling of your ankles, feet, hands, and puffiness under your eyes.

According to the UK led World Action on Salt and Health (WASH), a diet high in salt has been shown to increase the amount of protein in urine, which is a major risk factor for the decline of kidney function. In addition, there is increasing evidence that a high salt intake may increase the level of deterioration of kidneys in those people who are already suffering from kidney disease.

How to reduce your salt intake

According to Kidney Health Australia, the recommended daily salt intake for adults is less than 6g a day (or about a teaspoon of salt) and less than that for babies and children under 11 years of age.

Most salt in our diet comes from processed foods or by adding it directly to food during cooking or at the dinner table.

Some of the easiest ways to reduce your salt intake at home include:

  • Eating a balanced diet consisting of fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, proteins and low-fat dairy products;
  • Limiting your consumption of salty snacks and processed foods;
  • Avoiding adding salt during the preparation of food when cooking. Instead, use herbs and spices to give more flavour to your food;
  • Keeping the salt shaker OFF the dinner table at meal times; and
  • Choosing products with a lower sodium content, when shopping.

Keeping your kidneys healthy

There are a number of other simple ways to help keep your kidneys healthy

These include:

  • Avoiding smoking. People who smoke are three times more likely to have reduced kidney function.
  • Keeping up with regular exercise and being active most days of the week.
  • Minimising long periods of time sitting.
  • Staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water and avoiding soft drinks and fruit juice.
  • Minimising alcohol and limiting your intake to less than two standard drinks per day. Excessive drinking can lead to high blood pressure, and this increases the risk of kidney disease.

Concerned about kidney health?

If you are concerned about your kidney health, book in with one of our GPs to discuss your concerns. Appointments can be made online or by contacting us directly on (08) 9208 6400.

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