Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, notes the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Diabetic nephropathy occurs because chronic hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar levels, can burden the kidneys. The earlier...
Membranous nephritis is an autoimmune disorder of the kidney. An autoimmune disorder is a condition in which your immune system mistakes your body's own cells for a foreign invader, and creates immune complexes against them. In membranous...
Creatinine is a breakdown product of creatine, an energy compound concentrated in the skeletal muscle. Because creatinine is removed by your kidneys, the levels of creatinine in your blood and urine can indicate the status of your kidney function....
Your kidneys process about 200 gallons of blood each day to filter about 2 qt. of waste products and unnecessary fluid out of your body. Healthy kidneys help keep your blood clean and provide hormones that keep your body running efficiently....
If you have both diabetes and renal disease, you will need to adjust your diet to manage both conditions. You will have to eat appropriately to keep your blood sugar levels within normal ranges so that you can avoid complications. Because your...
A ketogenic diet is a diet low in carbohydrates. Ketosis, which refers to the utilization of fat and the ketone bodies derived as a by-product of fat oxidation, occurs when your carbohydrate intake drops below 50 g a day. Ketosis is not dangerous,...
Almost 18 million people in the United States have been told they have either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, according to 2007 data from the American Diabetes Association. Diabetics are at heightened risk of developing cardiovascular disease, erectile...
If you have nephropathy, or damage to the kidneys that is often caused by high blood pressure or diabetes, the path to treatment can be fairly simple. Generally, your doctor will use two types of medication to lower your blood pressure, which can...
For thousands of years, humans evolved as hunter-gatherers and consumed large amounts of protein and fat but very little carbohydrate through their diet. Nowadays, there are still tribes such as the Inuits, the Alaska and Greenland Natives, and...
Normally your immune system protects you from disease. But if you have an autoimmune disorder, your body's immune system attacks your healthy organs and tissues thinking that they are invaders. Gluten intolerance is an autoimmune disorder that...
Diabetes refers to a disease in which your body cannot control your blood sugar levels. According to the Mayo Clinic, common symptoms of diabetes include fatigue, extreme thirst, hunger, unintentional weight loss, frequent urination and sores on...
Kidney disease caused by diabetes is called diabetic nepropathy. Diabetic nephropathy is so common that the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases refers to diabetes as a kidney disease. According to the U.S. Renal...
Protein spillage in the urine of diabetics is called proteinuria. Excessive urinary protein in diabetics signals kidney involvement. It means that the filtering system of the kidneys is being affected by high blood sugars. Too much protein loss...
You may think diet sodas offer advantages over sugar-sweetened beverages. While diet sodas have virtually no calories, they have disadvantages that may make you reconsider consuming them. Over time, the human body developed an effective means of...
Most newly diagnosed patients ask whether dietary changes or supplements can help maintain renal function. For example, since celiac disease is very occasionally associated with kidney disease, many patients immediately start a gluten-free diet....
A purine-restricted diet is most commonly followed by individuals with gout, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. This is not a diet used to cure disease, but rather a diet that limits the consumption of foods high in purines....
Fish oil is derived from the tissues and skin of oily fish and contains essential omega-3 fatty acids including eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. EPA is essential for various body functions and is generally found in fatty fish from...
Renal diets are varied depending on the type and stage of renal disease. Diets are individualized and are usually lower, although sometimes higher, in sodium, potassium, phosphorus, fluid, protein and energy. Kidney conditions requiring a modified...