A physician, Dr. Olukunle Teemi has charged Nigerians to be watchful
of their lifestyle and what they eat as such may contribute to gradual
killing of the kidney and will eventually lead to kidney disease.
The medical professional who gave this charge Tuesday morning in a
chat with noted that failure to have a lifestyle change may
be attributed to the current realities in the country, but also
advocated that with determination, lifestyle could be achieved as
moderation is the key.
He revealed that insufficient water intake can lead to less blood
flow to the kidneys because the kidney just like other parts of the body
needs enough water.
“If there is less blood flow, your blood becomes thick, hindering the
ability to remove toxins from your body. Of course, you know that
passing out urine is a way of removing toxins from your body and you
need enough water to achieve this. Another benefit of drinking water a
lot is that it’ll make you lose weight faster.”
Dr. Teemi stated that eating of food that contains too much protein
can increase the risk of kidney disease, adding that those on diet have
to take note of this.
“I know we all need painkillers sometimes. Some conditions can be so
painful that you will have to resort to painkiller. That is okay, but
some people actually make it a habit to take it all the time to reduce
swelling, fever, and control pain. Sadly, painkillers or analgesics are
bad for the kidneys.
“Sugar consumption is also another enemy of the kidney because it can
lead to decreased kidney functioning. A lot of people are guilty of
this. Avoid sugary drinks to keep your kidney healthy.”
According to him, “emptying the bowel is always a good means of
evacuating waste products from the body system and not emptying the
bowel when pressed is an invitation to kidney failure which may begin
unnoticed but with time can get worse.
“Ingestion of too much salt is another area where people have to
watch out for. Most men are guilty of this because they are never
satisfied with the amount of salt in their meal.
“Consuming too much salt on a regular basis is bad for your health.
Our kidneys break down 95% of sodium from the food we eat. This means
that high salt intake makes the kidneys to work harder just to remove
the salt. This can in turn lead to poor kidney functioning and increased
water retention.”
He also maintained that other lifestyles that also affect the kidney include smoking and alcohol consumption.
“Smoking is bad for your health including your organs such as the
kidneys. This can also lead to hypertension which leads to reduced blood
flow in the kidneys.
“Excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages can eventually kill the kidneys and cause harm to health.”
recalls that recently, a female comedienne, Mercy Mmesoma
Obi Nnadi, aka Ada Jesus lost her life as a result of complications from
kidney disease which was alleged not to have been properly managed.
