Electrolytes are minerals that have a positive or negative electrical charge. Electrolytes circulate throughout your body in your blood, urine and other body fluids. The right balance of electrolytes in your body is vital to maintaining proper body function. Your kidneys filter waste and excess fluid from your blood and maintain the balance of electrolytes, including sodium, calcium, potassium and phosphorus.
Kidney Disease
If you have a kidney disease, your kidneys lose their ability to properly filter electrolytes from your blood. As a result, levels of electrolytes may rise or fall dramatically, which can cause disruptions in normal physiological functioning, MedlinePlus says. The proper diet can help control the amounts of electrolytes in your blood and may help prevent any physiological disruptions.
Potassium
Normally, kidneys remove excess potassium from the blood. If your kidneys don't work properly, potassium levels in your blood are able to rise, leading to a potentially dangerous condition called hyperkalemia, according to MayoClinic.com. Because potassium helps control your heart muscle, significant increases can lead to disruptions in heartbeat and possible heart attacks. If you have kidney disease, you should monitor your intake of potassium-rich foods, such as bananas, leafy green vegetables and dairy foods, to avoid dangerous increases in potassium levels.
Sodium
Sodium is essential in maintaining proper fluid balance in your body. Your kidneys help maintain fluid balance by removing sodium from the blood or allowing sodium to remain in the blood, when necessary. If you have kidney disease, you can't properly control the amount of sodium in the blood. If sodium levels rise, your blood volume increases, which can lead to high blood pressure. High blood pressure can harm the kidneys and increase the level of kidney damage. Limiting your intake of sodium can help control the amount of sodium in your blood.
Phosphorus and Calcium
When your kidneys are diseased, they can't properly remove excess phosphorus from the blood. The presence of phosphorus in the blood signals the bones to release calcium into the blood. This causes a loss of calcium from the bones that may lead to weak bones as well as increased levels of calcium in the blood. To prevent calcium loss from the bones and ensure that your phosphorus levels stay low, limit your intake of phosphorus-rich foods such as meat, fish, poultry and dairy product.
References
- MedlinePlus: Fluid and Electrolyte Balance
- MayoClinic.com: Hyperkalemia (High Potassium)
- "Nutrition and You"; Joan Salge Blake; 2008
