Your kidneys act as the purifying center for your body. Each kidney contains millions of nephrons, which take in waste products from your blood and digestive system to remove the waste from your body via urine. Unfortunately, over time, those nephrons can die off, resulting in diminished kidney effectiveness and sometimes total kidney failure. Keep your kidneys working well with the vitamins and minerals they need to function.
B Vitamins
When your body is deficient in B-6, B-12 and B complex vitamins, it produces more oxalic acid, notes John D. Kirschmann in the "Nutrition Almanac." Too much oxalic acid passes through the kidneys, mixing with calcium to form calcium oxate. This mineral is insoluble, and, when in excess, it may create kidney stones. By taking a supplement that contains B vitamins, you help your metabolism process oxalic acid properly.
Calcium
Calcium is a necessity in your body to keep your bones healthy. Your kidneys have the job of ensuring that the calcium and the phosphorus in your body stay balanced. If you suffer from a calcium deficiency, your kidneys need to work harder to remove excess phosphorus to maintain the balance, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Too much phosphorus in your body may remove calcium from your bones, causing weaker bones overall. Consuming enough calcium helps your kidneys function more easily.
Iron
Healthy kidneys secrete erythropoietin, the hormone responsible for the development of young red blood cells. These blood cells carry oxygen all over your body. Anemia occurs when your body is too low in red blood cells. Anemia causes you to feel tired, because oxygen isn't getting to your brain as efficiently as it should. Anemia is often seen in those with partial kidney failure or chronic renal insufficiency, because diseased kidneys don't produce enough erythropoietin. Iron is often delivered intravenously along with erythropoietin to those with kidney disease, to help in their development of red blood cells.
Vitamin D
Kidney dialysis is used as a treatment for diseased kidneys that can no longer function. Without dialysis, toxic waste would build up in the blood, so the cleansing of toxins from the blood must be performed artificially. Many dialysis patients are deficient in vitamin D. A study published in a 2010 issue of "The Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology" found that 79 percent of dialysis patients are vitamin D deficient. One of the study authors, Ishir Bhan, hypothesizes that vitamin D is excreted in the urine, and those with failed kidney function may have a limited ability to convert sun exposure to vitamin D in the body. Vitamin D supplements may be suggested to help the kidneys function while undergoing dialysis.
References
- National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse: The Kidneys and How They Work
- National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Chronic Kidney Disease - Mineral and Bone Disorder
- National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Anemia in Kidney Disease and Dialysis
- "The Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology"; Clinical Measures Identify Vitamin D Deficiency in Dialysis; Ishir Bhan, et al; February 25, 2010
- PhysOrg.com: Vitamin D deficiency likely among some kidney disease patients starting dialysis
- "Nutrition Almanac, Sixth Edition"; John D. Kirschmann; 2006
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