Your kidneys perform a number of crucial tasks, such as removing waste products and excess fluid to help keep your blood clean, according to the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. When these bean-shaped organs become damaged and fail to work properly, unhealthy wastes can accumulate in your body. A number of dietary supplements are purported to encourage and maintain optimum kidney health.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that may protect the kidneys from free-radical damage, states Life Extension.com. Free radicals are unstable substances that can damage cells, tissues and organs and set the stage for certain conditions like cancer that are often associated with aging.
Vitamin E is also important in the formation of red blood cells, notes the NIH. The American Heart Association cautions that taking more than 400 international units, or IU, daily of vitamin E can be harmful.
Curcumin
Curcumin, an extract of the spice, turmeric, appears to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects, according to the NIH. It may also help shield the kidneys from harm. A study published in January 2000 in the British Journal of Pharmacology found that curcumin protected the kidneys from injury caused by the chemotherapy drug, adriamycin.
Always check with your doctor before taking herbs for medicinal purposes.
Soy
Soy contains protein, fiber and phytoestrogens, or plant-hormones. It may have a positive effect on kidney health. A study published in June 2004 in the Journal of Nutrition found that dietary soy protein appears to delay the progression of early-stage chronic kidney disease.
Talk to your doctor before taking soy to treat medical conditions.
Eicosapentaenoic Acid
Eicosapentaenoic acid, also known as EPA, is an omega-3 fatty acid contained in cold-water fatty fish and in fish-oil supplements. EPA may have positive effects on kidney diseases but further studies are needed, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Fish-oil supplements may cause abdominal pain and loose stools. People who take blood-thinning drugs should check with their healthcare providers before taking the supplements.
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