Vitamins & Minerals For Kidney Health

Kidney patients are often malnourished, because the highly-restrictive diets they must follow prevents adequate intake of essential vitamins and minerals. Working with a nephrologist or a renal dietitian who has reviewed the medical history and laboratory findings is the best way to make sure that healthy amounts of all micronutrients are being consumed, ensuring an optimal environment for the kidneys.

Potassium and Phosphorus

As kidneys begin to fail, they are less able to remove excess potassium and phosphorus from the blood. Excessive potassium levels can cause potentially fatal heart problems; high levels of phosphorus strip calcium from the bones, causing them to permanently weaken. If serum potassium levels go above 5 mg/dL or phosphorus levels exceed 5.5 mg/dL, a nephrologist may recommend a low-potassium or low-phosphorus diet.

B Vitamins

Patients on low-potassium diets rarely get enough B vitamins, because foods packed with the micronutrient complex --- such as oranges, melons, broccoli, carrots, celery, squash and avocados --- must be eaten sparingly. If the patient has to limit phosphorus intake as well, they may be unable to eat dairy products, beans or legumes. Nephrologists often prescribe renal vitamins to prevent vitamin B deficiencies.

Vitamin D

The kidneys produce an enzyme that transforms dietary vitamin D into a biologically active form that the body can use. If kidneys become scarred, they can no longer make this enzyme, resulting in serious vitamin D deficiency regardless of how much vitamin D the patient takes. Renal vitamins contain 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, or calcitriol; this biologically-active form prevents deficiency and helps maintain bone health.

Vitamin A

Compromised kidneys do not clear vitamin A effectively. Writing in the January, 2011 issue of the "Journal of Renal Nutrition," G. J. Handelman notes that vitamin A levels in most kidney patients tend to be quite high. Unlike most multivitamins, renal vitamins do not include vitamin A. Preventing vitamin A toxicity is important in maintaining kidney health.

Warning

Kidney patients should not change their diets or take any type of supplement without consulting their nephrologists first. Doctors recommend dietary changes or supplements in response to the patient's individual laboratory results. Implementing restrictions preemptively does not prevent progression of kidney disease. Moreover, unsupervised supplementation can lead to toxic hypervitaminosis.