Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

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How to keep your kidneys working if you have diabetes

Diabetes causes copious problems like heart and blood vessel disease, amputation, blindness and chronic kidney disease (CKD). CKD (diabetic nephropathy) is a common health complication among people with diabetes as one in three diabetes sufferers develop the disease.

If left untreated, CKD can progress to kidney failure. If your kidneys stop working, you’ll need dialysis or a kidney transplant, luckily not all cases of kidney disease end up with kidney failure. Early treatment can be very effective and there are many lifestyle changes you can make to prevent the onset of this disease.

What is CKD?

Your kidneys have important responsibilities. They:

Remove waste products from the body
Balance the body’s fluids
Help keep blood pressure under control
Keep bones healthy
Help make red blood cells.

People with kidney disease have damaged kidneys that cannot perform their responsibilities as need be. This damage can be caused by high blood sugar levels.

How diabetes affects my kidneys:

Your kidneys have lots of tiny blood vessels and high blood sugar levels can cause these vessels to narrow and become clogged. When this happens, your kidneys will struggle to filter the blood passing through.

High blood sugar levels can also cause nerve damage in your kidneys. Nerves carry messages between your brain and other parts of the body, including your bladder. They notify your brain when your bladder is full. If the nerves in your bladder are damaged, you might not feel when your bladder is full. The pressure of a full bladder can damage your kidneys.

You might get frequent urinary tract infections from having a full bladder for an extended time. These bacterial infections affect the bladder but can also spread to the kidneys.

How do I know if I have CKD?

It is difficult to know if you have CKD because many people are living with the disease without showing any symptoms. To check for kidney damage, you can do a urine test. If you’re living with type 1 diabetes, screening for diabetic nephropathy is recommended beginning five years after your diagnosis. If you are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, screening will begin at the time of diagnosis.

In the later stages of CKD, you might notice the following symptoms:

Worsening blood pressure control
Swelling of feet, ankles, hands or eyes
Increased need to urinate
Reduced need for insulin or diabetes medicine
Confusion or difficulty concentrating
Shortness of breath
Loss of appetite
Nausea and vomiting
Persistent itching
Fatigue

What should I do if I have diabetes and kidney damage?

There is much you can do to help your kidneys work better.

You can:

Control your blood sugar

The most effective way to protect your kidneys is to keep your blood sugar levels stable. You can lower your blood sugar levels through diet, exercise, and medication.

Learn how to manage blood sugar levels in 6 easy steps…

Control your blood pressure

High blood pressure also causes damage to your blood vessels, including those in your kidneys.

Research also suggests that high blood pressure medication can slow down kidney damage in all people with diabetes, even if you don’t have high blood pressure.

Advice for managing high blood pressure…

Treat urinary tract infections promptly

If you need to urinate frequently, experience pain when urinating or have cloudy or blood-spotted urine, you might have an infection.

Eat less protein

Researchers believe that eating less protein can slow kidney damage. It is, however, very important that you eat enough protein. Talk to your doctor and a dietician to help you make healthy dietary changes.

Eat less salt

Limiting the amount of salt you eat, will help regulate your blood pressure.

Keep your cholesterol in check

By controlling cholesterol, you can prevent further damage to blood vessels.

Here are some tips for managing your cholesterol…

Quit smoking

Smoking is a risk factor for diabetic neuropathy. If you are a smoker talk to your doctor about the right strategies for quitting.

Takeaway

Although chronic kidney disease is common among people with diabetes there is much you can do to prevent kidney failure. Changing your lifestyle can slow down kidney damage significantly. The most effective thing you can do is to manage your blood sugar levels. Keeping your blood sugar levels within range will keep your kidneys working for longer.

Take the Manna Blood Sugar Support

Always take the Manna Blood Sugar Supplement with your food, because it helps to lower the Glycemic Index (GI) of the food you eat. Therefore, it helps control blood sugar levels and insulin.

How does Manna Blood Sugar Support work?

One of the best natural and organic blood sugar support products, uniquely formulated Manna Blood Sugar Support helps to maintain even blood sugar levels.

Manna Blood Sugar Support is 100% organic & natural and works in a unique way by slowing down the absorption of glucose from the food you eat by up to 43%. In other words, Manna Blood Sugar Support reduces the GI of the food you eat by up to 43%.

What are the benefits of Manna Blood Sugar Support?

Helps to maintain even blood sugar levels.
Keep you more satisfied after a meal, which means that the same meal can take you much further and cause you to eat less, which can help with natural weight loss.
Helps to control cravings.
Helps to keep energy levels constant.
Balanced blood sugar levels can help to prevent diabetic health complications.