Sometimes the more you know the more you love. This March, as National Kidney Month begins, the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii urges Americans to get to know two humble, hard-working organs: the kidneys. To help raise awareness and appreciation for all the vital functions the kidneys perform, the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii offers 10 reasons for Americans to love their kidneys and take steps now to preserve kidney health.
10 Critical Things Healthy Kidneys Do
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Filter 200 liters of blood a day, removing two liters of toxins, wastes and water
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Regulate the body's water balance
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Regulate blood pressue by controlling fluid levels and making the hormone that causes blood vessels to constrict
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Support healthy bones and tissues by producing the active form of vitamin D
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Produce the hormone that stimulates bone marrow to manufacture red blood cells
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Keep blood minerals in balance
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Regulate blood acid levels
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Remove drugs from the blood
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Keep electrolytes in balance
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Retrieve essential nutrients so that the body can reabsorb them
No wonder kidney specialists sometimes call the kidneys the body's "master chemists." When function is impaired, these processes are thrown off and serious health consequences ensue. A recent study of data from the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii's free Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP) for people at risk for chronic kidney disease found, for example, that Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) can strike young and middle-aged adults as well as elderly, doubling their risk for premature heart attack, stroke and death.
The good news: The study also confirmed that simple urine and blood tests can detect signs of early CKD and emphasized the ened for thorough testing for those at risk. The hope is that early detection will motivate people to make lifestyle changes that can help slow the progress of CKD, including losing weight, controlling blood pressure, treating diabetes, and quitting smoking.
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