Our kidneys, why take care of them?
Kidneys are advanced reprocessing machines. Every day, a person’s kidneys process approximately 190 liters of blood to remove about 2 liters of waste products and excess water.
The wastes in the blood come from the normal breakdown of active tissues, such as muscles, and from food. The body uses food for energy and to repair itself. After the body takes what it needs from food, the waste is sent to the blood. If not eliminated by the kidneys, these wastes would accumulate in the blood and damage the body.
Waste removal occurs in tiny units within the kidneys, called nephrons. A complicated chemical exchange takes place as waste materials and water leave the blood and enter the urinary tract.
Initially, the tubules receive a combination of waste materials and chemical compounds that the body can still use. The kidneys measure the amount of chemicals such as sodium, phosphorus and potassium and release them back into the blood to remain in the body. In this way, the kidneys regulate the body’s levels of these substances.
In addition, the kidneys are essential organs in the performance of other important functions such as:
- Moderate the excess of acids avoiding the accumulation of excess acids and their respiratory and metabolic repercussions.
- They are involved in the regulation of blood pressure and the production of hormones that control the production of red blood cells in the bone marrow.
- They regulate the amount of calcium in the blood and the production of vitamin D necessary for bone mineralization and strengthening.
For this reason and more, it is necessary to take care of our kidneys and perform renal prevention consultations to ensure the proper functioning of our kidneys.
Dr. Monica Buonpensiere
Nephrology, Internal Medicine, Renal Transplant.