Role of Diet in Kidney Diseases

Kidneys are the excretory and regulatory endocrine organs responsible for the formationof urine, through which the waste products are excreted. Healthy kidneys have great potential to manage high workload and that depends upon the type and quantity of food consumed. Renal diseases generally impairs these functions thereby increasing the need for the diet modifications.Complications such as high blood pressure, diabetes, water retention, increase in pottassium, accumulation of waste nitrogen products that is urea, creatinine occur if dietary instructions are not followed carefully.Foods are carefully selected and incorporated in the diet to reduce the workload of the kidneys and to improve their condition. The requirement of various vitamins and minerals depends on the nature of the kidney diseases.In the hospital where i work i get to see more of chronic kidney disease. For this type of disease generally we restrict the salt, pottassium, more of proteins and fluids.I give them the list of food items which has to be avoided and also a list of allowed items. I also give them a sample menu pattern which they follow at home. They come back to me after a period of 45 days with all the test report and with a happy face saying that following the diet doctor has said that the kidney functions have improved from before. So, diet plays a significant role in successfully management of kidney diseases.