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Living with Diabetes: 4 Steps to Protect Your Kidney Health
Your kidneys play a vital role in filtering toxins, excess fluids, and waste products from your blood. If you have diabetes, your risk of kidney disease is higher than average.
Dr. Saka Kazeem and the team at Elk Medical in New York City offer patients outstanding chronic disease management, including for diabetes and kidney disease.
Here are four ways to protect your kidney health if you have diabetes:
1. Manage your blood sugar
One way that diabetes negatively affects kidney health is by damaging blood vessels. As blood glucose increases, the tiny blood vessels in your kidneys can narrow and become clogged, preventing blood from delivering the oxygen and nutrients your kidneys need to thrive.
Managing diabetes begins with tracking and managing your blood sugar. Methods to track blood glucose include affordable test strips and systems worn continuously to gather real-time blood glucose levels.
Tracking your blood sugar empowers you to take action to lower your levels. For some, that might mean taking medications or supplemental insulin. Others can reduce their blood sugar through lifestyle modifications, including losing excess weight.
2. Limit your protein intake
Protein is essential to building muscle and healing. But for people with kidney disease, too much protein can cause problems.
Dietary protein creates waste that your kidneys must filter from your blood. Excess protein can strain the kidneys, forcing them to work harder. Protein waste that your kidneys can’t process can build up in the blood, causing issues such as nausea, weakness, and loss of appetite.
Going on a low-protein diet may slow the progression of kidney disease. Consider working with a professional to ensure you get the right amount of protein to keep your body functioning properly.
3. Manage your blood pressure
After diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure) is the second-leading cause of kidney disease. When your arteries become stiff or narrow due to plaque buildup, your heart must work harder to move blood throughout your body.
That can damage the walls within your blood vessels, including those in your kidneys, making it hard for your kidneys to function. That in turn raises your blood pressure even more because your kidneys can no longer filter excess fluids and sodium from your blood.
Some people require medication to regulate their blood pressure. Others can benefit from lifestyle changes such as dietary adjustments and exercise. No matter which path you take, controlling hypertension can significantly improve your kidney health.
4. See your health care providers regularly
One of the best ways to manage kidney disease is by building trust with your health care provider and taking advantage of their services regularly.
Whether it’s managing blood sugar or blood pressure, keeping an eye on your medications and dosage, or working on improving your activity levels and nutrition, your health team is an invaluable resource.
Blood testing can provide insight into how well your kidneys currently function. Dr. Kazeem can advise you on medications that might help improve your kidney function or slow the progression of kidney disease.
Let your provider know if you experience problems passing urine. Urinary tract infections can quickly spread to the kidneys, causing significant pain and raising your risk of complications.
Take control of your kidney health
The Elk Medical team offers comprehensive, personalized diabetes care, and we can help you reduce your risk of kidney disease. To learn more, call our office in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn or schedule your appointment online today.
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