High uric acid levels may represent a serious and underestimated
issue for people with kidney disease. Kidney problems are often correlated to gout,
a painful condition. On the bright side, there are
EASY dietary changes and home remedies you can use to solve this problem FAST and naturally.
These may help you to get rid of high uric acid levels and also to slow down the progression
of kidney disease. My name is Katherine
and this is 00kidney. Welcome to our journey together to a better kidney health!
Let's start immediately: why should you care about uric acid levels?
Damaged kidneys cannot get rid of uric acid, a waste byproduct.
And, when this toxin builds up, it may cause serious problems, including permanent damage
to your bones and joint, a very painful symptom. And you should know that 1 out of 10 people with
chronic kidney disease have gout - which is caused by uric acid.
And, unfortunately, uric acid can also damage your kidneys - it accelerates
the progression of kidney disease. In fact, an even higher percentage
of people with gout have kidney disease. It's a vicious circle we need to break.
Ok, don't worry, as usual, I want to focus on the solution and not on the problem.
Should you worry about uric acid levels?
High levels of uric acid in your body are something you don't want.
And, they are very common in people with kidney problems.
Unfortunately, a lot of doctors still aren't testing for this.
So, make sure you have your uric acid levels tested during your next routine check-up.
Because you may want to take different medications
than what you are actually taking based on your uric acid levels.
So don't assume your doctor is keeping these levels in mind while prescribing.
Instead, ask for a copy of the blood work and look at it yourself.
And, obviously, you should know how to read your blood works.
What you need to look-at is serum uric acid.
You may also hear this test called a serum uric acid test, serum urate, or UA.
Now, as we can see here, these levels are usually indicated in milligrams per deciliter.
Normal Uric acid levels are up to 6.0 mg/dL for women and up to 7.0 mg/dL for men.
If your levels are higher than this, you should take action.
Talk to your doctor and find a way to lower these levels.
Naturally, when the kidney is damaged, it's really hard to evacuate all that uric acid
and to get rid of it - so, as a result, gout is common in people with kidney problems.
Gout symptoms include Intense, sudden joint pain,
that often comes in the middle of the night. It may also be accompanied by red
and swollen joints. The big toe is affected most commonly, but ankle,
knee and other joints may be affected too. Luckily, if you have high uric acid levels and
these symptoms, there are things you can do. So, we have seen what the problem is,
let's take a look at the solution now. First of all, there's the diet.
A diet that works both for kidney problems and to lower uric acid levels should be low in purine.
So, foods rich in PURINE need to be avoided. What is purine?
Purine is produced naturally in your body and is also found in certain foods.
The problem is that purine breaks down into uric acid, which can form into crystals that deposit
in your joints and other tissue, causing pain and inflammation and kidney damage.
This joint pain is referred to as gout, or a gout attack.
So a good way to avoid this is avoiding foods rich in purine.
this include Meat, especially organ meat,
but also bacon, turkey, goose, veal, venison. Avoiding red meat is a great way of improving
kidney disease too, as you may already know. But also, certain seafoods.
shellfish, anchovies, sardines, herring, mussels and other types of fish
rich in mercury should be avoided. Again, this also works for kidney disease.
However, cold water fishes such as salmon have moderate amounts of purine, so
can still be a part of a healthy diet. Which is good, salmon is very healthy.
Alcohol is probably the worst offender here.
Beer is specifically cited as an alcohol to avoid because it increases patients' uric
acid levels and reduces the body's ability to clear the substance from its system.
And while abstaining from all alcohol may be a good strategy in controlling uric acid levels,
the best option is red wine, according to clinical guidelines.
This is because it has high amounts of antioxidants that
can help with several problems. Last thing to avoid, sugary foods
and beverages. They are known to raise uric acid levels and to worse gout symptoms.
Now guys, if you have been following me here on 00kidney regularly, you may already know
what I think about sugar: it's one of the unhealthiest foods on the planet.
It's inflammatory, it raises your blood pressure more than salt,
it makes kidney disease progress faster and, as we can see, it raises uric acid levels.
Avoid anything containing sugar. And, if you really miss some sweetness, try
one of my healthy Christmas desserts instead! And talking about foods, some superfoods can help
both with kidney health and uric acid levels, First of all, focus on Leafy greens.
Lettuces, kale, chard, collard greens are great sources of FOLATE.
A very important vitamin for people with kidney disease.
This B-vitamin also plays a role in the metabolism of uric acid.
Especially in hypertensive people, folate lowers blood uric acid levels.
Folate even interferes with the damaging effects that uric acid crystals have on nerves.
So, eat your greens every day! Now guys, some very healthy veggies
are also surrounded by misconception: spinach, mushrooms, cauliflower and
asparagus are considered by some people high in purines and thus unhealthy.
Well, you may be relieved to know that vegetables high in purines are not going to increase the risk
of gout or the uric acid levels in the body - especially when you eat them in moderation.
So these vegetables are not just safe and healthy,
they may even help with this problem. But don't forget other plant based foods:
Fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, and seeds are packed with fiber.
Fiber is considered a factor for protection against gout, as the highest fiber intake
was correlated with decreases of uric acid concentration in several studies.
Fiber intake has also shown a mild uric acid-lowering effect and it is known
to protect the health of your kidneys. Some of the healthiest foods to fight uric
acid levels are citrus fruits. And also consider Cherries
Preliminary research suggests that cherries might reduce the risk of gout attacks, particularly in
people with a prior history of the disease. A 2012 study of 633 people with gout found
that eating cherries for 2 days lowered the risk of a gout attack by 35% compared
with eating no cherries. Which is great, frankly.
And, among people who also used Allopurinol, an anti-gout drug,
the combination of the drug and cherries lowered the risk of another attack by 75%.
Incredible. Now, talking about medications,
there are a couple of things absolutely worth knowing about medications for
kidney disease and high uric acid levels. So, don't skip this part to go directly to
the home remedies - some medications can cause serious problems.
This is very important, because some people with kidney disease take medicines that may
increase their risk of gout. Yes, doctors make mistakes,
sometimes. So better be informed, right?
For example, diuretics (water pills) and beta-blockers, two common medicines for high
blood pressure, can raise uric acid levels. They may even contribute to gout attacks.
Now, beta blockers are widely prescribed to treat high blood pressure.
Sectral, Tenormin, Zebeta, Lopresso and more. These have a lot of side effects, so if you are
taking them it may be worth talking to your doctor and see if there's an alternative.
But continue taking your medications unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
Another thing you should pay attention to: Some of the most common medicines for acute
and chronic gout should be adjusted or avoided when you have kidney disease.
NSAIDs are not safe for the kidneys. Do not take them.
Even if they are basically the first choice to treat gout pain.
Luckily, there is an alternative: ULORIC and ALLOPURINOL.
Two popular medications for gout that are also safe for people with kidney problems.
Now, you should know that these changes should be directed by your doctor, alright?
So talk to your doctor if you're concerned about the medications you are taking.
But the only way to get things done is being informed, in my opinion.
So you can make the right choice when at the doctor's office.
Now, let's take a look at what home remedies actually work and are safe both for uric acid
levels and to protect the kidneys. Yes, these home remedies may have many
outstanding benefits than just helping lower uric acid levels.
First of all, water.
Drink plenty of water Uric acid passes through your body via your
urine. If you don't drink enough water, you may increase the buildup of uric acid in your body.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, you can reduce your
risk for gout and DETOX the kidneys if you drink eight glasses of water or more a day.
So, if you don't have a water allowance, always drink plenty of water.
And also drink Coffee
There is a lot of misconception surrounding coffee.
But, in fact, coffee is actually very healthy. Coffee is thought to reduce uric acid
levels through several mechanisms. Some research even indicates that people who
drink coffee are less likely to develop gout. And we're talking about black coffee here... so
avoid creamers, additives and, obviously, sugar. But coffee may really help. For example,
a 2010 analysis of data from female participants in the Nurses' Health Study found that gout risk
decreased as coffee consumption increased. Women who consumed 1 to 3 cups of coffee
per day had a 22% reduction in their risk of gout compared with those who drank no coffee.
And this also works for men, according to other studies.
Now, what you should know about coffee is that it helps with kidney problems too.
First of all, caffeine is known to boost mood, brain function,
and to reduce the risk for depression. Also, it may boost your metabolism and fat
burning ability. Coffee may even help with diabetes and heart health.
And if you think all those things are not correlated to your kidneys,
think again: the human body is not a ... sack of separated organs,
it's a whole, integrated system. What helps with your heart health,
with your mood, with your metabolism will clearly help with your kidney health too.
For the same reason, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy body weight is crucial not
just for the health of your kidneys but also for keeping uric acid levels under control.
So consider trying one of my home workouts! Link is up here.
And, another home remedy that can help fighting uric acid levels is
Curcumin Curcumin is the active compound in turmeric.
It has a wide array of benefits for your kidneys, including the ability to lower uric acid levels.
And it's also useful to lower pain related not just to gout attack but... almost to anything
inflammatory. Curcumin and turmeric
have kidney protecting effects that really makes them your best allies in fighting kidney disease.
And, most importantly, it's one of the most powerful
anti-inflammatory substances you can find. This makes curcumin a home remedy everyone
should consider, in my opinion. You can add turmeric to your cooking or,
for faster and more repeatable results, consider using a curcumin supplement.
But consider that curcumin by itself is poorly absorbed by the body.
You need to add piperine, or black powder extract to it to solve this problem.
In fact, most curcumin supplements come with piperine too.
And this supplement has been widely studied for its health benefits,
so there's even a recommended daily dosage to help with kidney and uric acid problems.
Which is 500mg of curcumin 3 times a day if the supplement comes with piperine.
Turmeric is considered safe in the recommended dosage,
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.
Another supplement you should consider is Vitamin C
Research shows that vitamin C supplements
may help prevent gout attacks by lowering uric acid levels.
It seems that vitamin C does this by helping the kidneys remove more uric acid in the urine.
Research on vitamin C supplements for gout is new, so more studies are
needed before strong conclusions can be made. On the plus side, vitamin C is known to help with
kidney problems - if taken in the right dosage. In fact, taking vitamin supplements is not as easy
for people with kidney problems as for the general population.
This happens because some vitamins are toxic in case of kidney disease even in the amounts present
in over-the-counter supplements. So be very careful and also watch
my video about the perfect vitamins for kidney disease, if you already haven't.
And feel free to ask in comments section if you have any question!
I really hope the information in this video will be able to help you!
A new video is coming next Tuesday, 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!