Hello everyone, my name is Katherine and this is 00kidney!
Welcome to our journey together to a better kidney health!
In this video I'll show you 3 powerful ways to fight
and reduce the inflammation in your body and to repair the damage it causes to your kidneys.
It's very common for people with kidney disease to suffer from inflammation,
which can cause joint pain, fatigue and unfortunately, it can also lead to cardiovascular
disease, a faster progression to end stage renal disease and even an increased rate of death.
Now some good news: with the right diet and home remedies, you can solve this problem and give your
kidneys the best chance to recover. To do this, we need first to know
our enemy a little bit better. So, question, what is inflammation?
Inflammation is the immune response by the body to heal himself from
injuries and from foreign invasion. Think of inflammation as the body's
natural response to protect itself against harm. This happens to everyone. If you bang your knee,
if you cut your finger or even if you have a cold... your immune system dispatches an
army of white blood cells to surround and protect the area, creating visible redness and swelling.
It's a necessary and beneficial process the body uses to heal itself.
But it's only beneficial to the body until it starts to attack its own cells.
Let's understand when inflammation is not beneficial.
There are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic.
The acute type occurs when you bang your knee or cut your finger.
Acute means that it's only temporary: It's a healing process. When the wound
has healed, inflammation will disappear. But there's also a dangerous type of inflammation:
It's chronic inflammation. Chronic means that inflammation
is always present, even when there's no need. If inflammation occurs when there is nothing
to fight or fend off, inflammation "turns on the body" and can lead to
diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, hay fever and atherosclerosis, to name a few.
According to several studies, chronic inflammation is not just very common in CKD,
it can even damage your kidneys and make kidney disease progress faster.
This happens because inflammation can restrict the blood flow to the kidneys, damaging them,
and also cause hypertension. Also, it may cause heart attacks,
especially if there's plaque in the arteries. inflammation is so dangerous that the most
commonly prescribed hearth medications, statins, are mostly used to fight the dangers it can cause.
Now, you may ask, how do you know if you have an ongoing, chronic inflammation?
Symptoms such as muscle or joint pain, constant chronic fatigue and insomnia, mood disorders,
weight gain, digestive issues but also high blood pressure may be signs of inflammation.
These symptoms can range from mild to severe and last for several months or years.
And there's a test that can be done to know if there's inflammation going on in the body.
A simple blood test called the hsCRP test can measure C-reactive protein
(CRP), which is a marker for inflammation.
But many doctors don't routinely recommend the hsCRP test.
They rely most on symptoms. Now, as you may have noticed,
these symptoms are very common and very frequent in people with kidney disease.
But why is chronic inflammation so common in CKD?
Inflammation in people who have CKD can have several causes, including:
- Anemia, a very frequent complication, even of the early stages of CKD and
- Uremia (extra waste in the blood, another complication) also
- Poor nutrition - this is very important, I'll show you how to solve this in a moment
And also Dialysis vascular access infection and Gum disease or poor dental health.
These conditions are very common and each one of them can cause inflammation.
But there are also other causes that affect people with or without CKD:
- Infections that linger - Toxins
- Pollutants - Insomnia
- Lack of exercise - Obesity
So, this slide should already give us some
directions on how to treat and prevent inflammation.
It's critical to treat any of these conditions, if present.
Also, there is a strong connection between malnutrition and chronic inflammation in
people with kidney disease. Eating problems may occur
frequently in kidney disease patients. Protein is especially critical. If you eat
too much protein, your kidneys are going to be damaged by it.
If you don't eat enough, you risk malnutrition and consequent problems.
now I'll show you what the most effective steps to tackle inflammation are.
So, to lower inflammation, first step is Avoid inflammatory Foods.
This step is vital, you cannot stop inflammation if you eat foods that cause inflammation such as
- Processed meats and deep fried and high fat foods. These contain both high
quantities of saturated fats and trans fats. Several studies have shown that saturated
fats trigger inflammation of the fat tissue. Pizza and cheese are the biggest sources of
saturated fats in the average diet but also red and processed meats and pasta dishes.
Also avoid fast foods and other fried products, processed snack foods, frozen breakfast products,
cookies, donuts ... you get the idea. Also, these foods are too rich in Omega 6
Fatty Acids. Excess consumption of omega-6 Fatty Acids can trigger the body to produce
pro-inflammatory chemicals and negates the healthy effects of omega 3s.
The body needs a healthy balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. But while many people
are lacking enough omega 3s in the diet, omega 6s are everywhere - especially in junk foods.
Also avoid refined sugar. Refined sugar is known to cause
several health problems, including increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
Now, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition also
warns that processed sugars trigger the release of inflammatory messengers called cytokines,
known to cause inflammation in the body. Also, Refined Carbohydrates
Very unhealthy and inflammatory if eaten in large amount and also dangerous for
people with diabetes. Ok, everyone knows that
the foods in this list are unhealthy. But there are also hidden dangers.
For example, MSG
Mono-sodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor-enhancing food additive most commonly found in prepared
Asian food and soy sauce, but it can also be added to fast foods, prepared soups and soup
mixes, salad dressings and deli meats. This chemical can trigger two important
pathways of chronic inflammation, and affect liver and kidney health.
Gluten and Casein People who have joint
pain and are sensitive to gluten, found in wheat, barley and rye, or casein, found in dairy
products, may find relief by avoiding them. AND Aspartame, the artificial sweetener.
Your body cannot process artificial ingredients well,
so substances such as aspartame and mono-sodium glutamate may trigger an immune response.
The body frequently "attacks" these artificial ingredients, therefore causing inflammation.
Also consider that inflammation can occur in response to other unwanted substances in the body,
such as toxins from cigarette smoke or an excess of fat cells (especially fat in the belly area).
Especially dangerous for CKD patients
since impaired kidneys cannot remove toxins as they should.
Now, in people with CKD, inflammation prevention
and treatment begins with a healthy, kidney-friendly diet.
So, let's see what foods are best to reduce the inflammation.
First of all, focus on foods rich in antioxidants, Vegetables such as:
Spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower and many other are very rich in antioxidants,
great to fight inflammation, and are jam packed with vitamins and phytochemicals that will help
your kidney health in a multitude of ways. Unfortunately, not all greens are suitable for
a renal diet. Some are too rich in potassium. My advice here is to choose those that are
lower in this mineral. Cauliflower is a great option
for people with CKD, but also cabbage, lettuce, celery, cucumber and kale.
Healthy fats are very important too. Extra virgin olive oil, almonds and other nuts,
but also fish. These foods must always be present in your diet.
Fruits. There are many fruits that are very rich in antioxidants and that can fight inflammation.
Like for veggies, focus on those with lower potassium content.
Apples, berries, grapes, plums but also pears, peaches, pineapples can
all be part of a healthy renal diet. Healthy foods in your diet are really
important, this is why I make regular videos to show you what to eat and what to avoid.
There's a playlist up here you can consider watching to know more.
But, while many healthy foods are rich in antioxidants, there's a special food group
here that's worth mentioning. I'm talking about fatty fish.
They are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, that have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect.
Eating fish two to three times a week helps treat inflammation because of the
anti-inflammatory effect of omega-3s. But while Fish oil supplements
may also be used to increase omega 3s, these fishes are also rich in high quality protein.
This makes fatty fish twice as healthy because high quality protein can also fight malnutrition.
As I was showing you earlier, malnutrition is a known cause of inflammation in people with
CKD and is usually caused by lack of essential ammino acids, the building block of protein.
This is why fishes such as salmon, herring, mackerel, sardine should be
your preferred source of protein. In general, it's best to get your
anti-inflammatory nutrients from whole foods. However, in the case of excessive or chronic
inflammation, supplements can often help bring things back into balance.
Here are the home remedies that can help you fighting inflammation.
First of all, baking soda. Baking soda is...
almost a miracle, if you have kidney disease. Baking soda has incredible benefits:
it can make your body more alkaline, can lower your serum potassium levels
and can even help patients slowing down the progression of chronic kidney disease.
And, according to a recent study in the Journal of Immunology, drinking a tonic of baking soda
and water may help reduce inflammation. Also, according to the researchers,
the results may be already visible after just two to four weeks.
Test subject of this study were administered 1/4 tsp. of baking soda with 8 to 12 oz. of water.
Baking soda is considered safe but, if you want to use any supplement, first check with your
doctor to see if it's compatible with your health conditions and the medications you may be taking.
Another home remedy that can help fighting the inflammation is
Turmeric. Turmeric can be one of your best allies
in fighting kidney disease for several reasons. Its most active compound, curcumin,
has many scientifically-proven health benefits that can help you.
And, most importantly, it's one of the most powerful
anti-inflammatory substances you can find. The curcumin in turmeric blunts the effects
of the inflammatory molecules and enzymes that cause chronic diseases.
As a result, taking curcumin regularly, can even lower high
blood pressure and reducing kidney damage. Now, if you want to start taking turmeric,
the safest route is finding a curcumin supplement. Curcumin is poorly absorbed by the body,
so supplements are also going to contain a substance to improve curcumin absorption.
Most commonly piperine, or black powder extract, but also essential oil or soy lecithin.
Recommended dosage is 500mg of curcumin 3 times a day if the supplement comes
with piperine and 500 mg 2 times a day if with essential oil or soy lecithin.
Turmeric is considered safe in the recommended dosages,
and it's usually taken together with food. People that should be careful with turmeric
are those suffering from kidney stones, those on anti-clotting medications and pregnant women.
So, again, always consult your doctor before starting to take any supplement or home remedy.
Now, another supplement that can help you is Resveratrol
Resveratrol is an antioxidant found in grapes, blueberries and other fruits with purple skin.
But also in red wine. Actually,
resveratrol is what gives red wine and berries many of their health benefits.
According to multiple studies, resveratrol from supplements or from foods may reduce inflammation
in individuals with heart disease, insulin resistance, kidney disease and other conditions.
In a very interesting study, resveratrol supplements
lowered inflammatory markers, triglycerides and blood sugar in people with obesity
The effects observed were so evident that researchers compared them to what they would
have got with calorie restriction. Yes, this is a powerful supplement.
And taking it as a supplement is way more powerful than drinking red wine:
Red wine contains less than 13 mg of resveratrol per liter (34 oz),
but most studies investigating the health benefits of resveratrol used 150 mg or more per day.
And, trust me, you don't want to drink 10 liters of wine per day to get the resveratrol you need.
Actually, many supplements even come in dosages of 1000 or 1200 mg.
But 500mg a day is a more reasonable choice,
according to research. Remember that you need the
approval of your doctor to use resveratrol if you take blood thinning medications.
And, be Smart When it comes to supplements. If you want to try any of these supplements,
always buy them from a reputable manufacturer. And, even more important, never start taking
two or more supplements at once. Start with one and see what happens. And inform your doctor.
Ok, guys, a new video is coming next Friday as usual. If you don't want to miss it,
subscribe and set the notification bell to all. In the meantime, keep taking good care of your
kidneys and be good to yourself. This is all for today, thank you for watching!