There’s good news and bad news on kidneys.
The good news is that of all human organs, kidneys play a critical role in keeping us healthy.
But the bad news is that when there’s something wrong, a kidney can lose much of its operating capacity before the problem can be detected.
Dr Tim Spicer, the director of renal services at South West Sydney Local Health District, says that kidney related disease kills more people each year than breast cancer, prostate cancer and even road traffic accidents.
“But up to 90 per cent of kidney function can be lost before you feel sick,” Dr Spicer said.
The 2017 World Kidney Day, on today, Thursday, March 0, is highlighting the link between the nation’s obesity epidemic and chronic medical conditions, including kidney disease.
With more than half of all south west Sydney region residents either overweight or obese, the message from this World Kidney Day is that diet and exercise are key to keeping you and your kidneys healthy.
An estimated 1.7 million Australians aged 18 years and over already have at least one clinical sign of existing chronic kidney disease and one third of cases potentially relate to being overweight or obese.
“Our kidneys produce hormones, absorb minerals in our body, filter blood and produce urine and being overweight or obese means they need to work harder to get rid of toxins,” Dr Spicer said.
“Being overweight increases your risk of developing kidney disease by 1.5 times and being obese doubles it.”
However obesity, like chronic kidney disease, is largely preventable.
Education and awareness of the risks of obesity and a healthy lifestyle, including proper nutrition and exercise, can dramatically help in preventing obesity and kidney disease.
“Kidneys are the most vital filtering system in our bodies and like any filtering system, what goes into them matters,” Dr Spicer said.
“Reducing your salt and sugar intake, quitting smoking and making water your drink of choice are significant factors in keeping kidneys healthy.”
If detected early, kidney disease can be managed through medications and dietary and lifestyle changes.
Kidney failure can be fatal and requires regular dialysis treatments and/or a kidney transplant to stay alive.
For more information on kidney disease, visit Kidney Health Australia online here.
