Kidney Health

Your Blood Work Indicators

In your personal lab results the primary tests that relate to Kidney Health include your BUN, Creatinine, Serum and BUN/Creatinine Ratio.

Don't forget to review your results using our sample lab results guide.

Supplements that may support Kidney Health

Supplements that contain one or more of the following ingredients may support Kidney Health. See references below.

• Vitamin D
• Quercetin
• Astragalus
• Carnitine
• Captopril
• Cordyceps
• Danshen
• Rhubarb

Dietary supplements may not be risk-free under certain circumstances. If you are pregnant, nursing a baby, or have a chronic medical condition, such as, diabetes, hypertension or heart disease, be sure to consult your doctor or pharmacist before purchasing or taking any supplement.

Diet and your Kidneys

Cut back on sodium and possibly potassium. Kidney damage impairs excretion of those electrolytes, and reducing sodium intake can help lower blood pressure. Lose excess weight. In one recent study, overweight people who had kidney disease suffered organ failure two to five times faster than individuals with a normal weight.

Limit protein in your diet. Too much can overtax diseased kidneys. So talk with a nutritionist about how to cut back on the amount in your diet.¹

References

¹Consumer Reports. Silent killer on the rise Kidney disease is now more common than diabetes. April 2008.

Ahmad S, Robertson HT, Golper TA, Wolfson M, Kurtin P, Katz LA, Hirschberg R, Nicora R, Ashbrook DW, Kopple JD. Multicenter trial of L-carnitine in maintenance hemodialysis patients. II. Clinical and biochemical effects. Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. Kidney Int. 1990 Nov;38(5):912-8.

D L Verbeelen and S De Boel. Reversible acute on chronic renal failure during captopril treatment. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1984 July 7; 289(6436): 20–21.

Guan YJ, Hu Z, Hou M. Effect of Cordyceps sinesis on T-lymphocyte subsets in chronic renal failure. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 1992 Jun;12(6):338-9, 323.

Nippon Jinzo Gakkai Shi. Study on the clinical effect of rhubarb on nitrogen-metabolism abnormality due to chronic renal failure and its mechanism. Department of Internal Medicine III, Fukushima Medical College, Japan. 1996 Aug;38(8):379-87.

Pittas AG, Lau J, Hu FB, Dawson-Hughes B. The role of vitamin D and calcium in type 2 diabetes. A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Jun;92(6):2017-29. Epub 2007 Mar 7.

Quercetin. Highlight Health. May 16, 2007. http://www.highlighthealth.com/supplements/quercetin/

Tian XH, Xue WJ, Ding XM. Application of Danshen injection on early stage of renal transplantation. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2005 May;25(5):404-7. Xu XY, Li LH, Wu LS, Zhao CL, Lin HY. Adjustment effect of Radix Astragalus and Radix Angelicae sinensis on TNF-alpha and bFGF on renal injury induced by ischemia reperfusion in rabbit. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2002 Oct;27(10):771-3.