6 Foods That Might Lead To Lasting Kidney Damage

When it comes to keeping your body healthy, filtering pollutants out of it, maintaining blood pressure, and encouraging healthy red blood cells, your kidneys are critical. These important organs are often so well-functioning that you don't even notice they're there until something goes wrong.

However, kidney health remains a constant issue for the estimated 14 percent of Americans who have chronic kidney disease (CKD), with more than 47,000 Americans dying from the disease each year.

It's not just your genes that influence your risk of kidney disease; what you eat can also have an impact on how healthy your kidneys are. Read on to see which common foods, according to scientists, may be causing long-term kidney harm.

Please bear in mind that only those with renal problems need be concerned about consuming some of the foods on our list, since many can be a part of a healthy, balanced diet; the ordinary American with no prior health ailments can likely consume these foods without trouble.

If you're allergic to any of the foods listed below, or if kidney disease runs in your family, you should always consult your nephrologist before making any dietary adjustments.

1. Processed meat 

If you want to maintain your kidney health, you should eliminate processed pig products from your diet, or at the very least limit your intake. Consumption of processed pig products, such as salami, ham, bacon, and sausage, was strongly associated with the development of renal cell carcinoma, a kind of kidney cancer, according to a 2017 meta-analysis of 23 studies published in the journal Oncotarget.

2. Soda 

If you drink sugar-sweetened soda on a regular basis, you may be on your way to kidney disease before you realize it. According to a 2016 study published in the journal Nephrology, those who consumed more than four sugar-sweetened drinks per week, including soda, were considerably more likely to develop chronic kidney disease among 2,382 adult patients studied as part of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Project.

3. Potatoes 

Potassium is abundant in potatoes, with each large spud containing up to 1,640 mg of the nutrient—nearly half of the recommended daily amount (RDA) for adult men. Unfortunately, if you have renal problems, this could put your organ in jeopardy. Individuals with late-stage chronic renal disease who had greater serum potassium levels were more likely to die than those with lower potassium levels, according to a 2015 study published in the American Journal of Nephrology.

4. Red meat 

You may not want to eat more than the recommended three portions of red meat each week if you want to help your kidneys stay healthy. (Given that the average American eats 5 servings of red and processed meat per week, this is perhaps something you should think about.)

High red meat consumption was connected to the development of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in a 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, however replacing just one serving of red meat with another protein source could reduce a person's risk of ESRD by up to 62.4 percent.

5. Chips 

Salty foods, such as chips, aren't simply harmful for your waistline; they may also be hazardous for your kidneys. In a 2018 study published in the journal Kidney and Blood Pressure Research, researchers discovered that people with the highest salt intake were 29 percent more likely than those with moderate salt intake to develop impaired kidney function. Because this study was conducted on a wide population sample, the impact of salty food consumption on renal function is something that everyone should be aware of.

6. Spinach 

If you don't have any pre-existing ailments, such as kidney problems, there's no need to be concerned about your spinach consumption. Spinach is a nutrient-dense addition to salads and smoothies, as well as a health-promoting component of most diets. For people with kidney problems, though, this leafy green may be an issue.

Spinach contains up to 1,260 milligrams of oxalate per half-cup serving, which might be problematic for people who already have kidney problems. In fact, a study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology found that significant dietary oxalate consumption was linked to a greater than 20% increase in kidney stone risk in both men and older women, with spinach accounting for the majority of oxalates in the diets of the study participants.