5 nutritional principles people with kidney failure on dialysis need to know

For patients with end-stage renal failure, the ideal is to receive a new kidney transplant to replace the old kidney that has completely “failed”, but for many reasons, only a very small percentage of these patients are so lucky.

For patientsrenal failureIn the final stage, the ideal is to have a new kidney transplant to replace the old kidney that has completely “failed”, but for many reasons, only a very small percentage of these patients are so lucky and the remaining majority, in order to continue to… survive, must undergo periodic dialysis or peritoneal dialysis for the rest of their lives. To help reduce the frequency and increase the effectiveness of kidney replacement measures as well as avoid dangerous complications in peoplerenal failureIn the final stage, patients must pay special attention to the 5 nutritional principles in their diet.

Limit protein-rich foods

Patientrenal failurePeople on chronic hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis should avoid eating too much protein-rich foods such as lean meat, chicken, fish, eggs, and shrimp because these foods, after being metabolized, will produce urea and creatinine. These two substances increase rapidly in the blood and will be toxic to the body. Too high and rapid increase in blood urea will increase the risk of high uremia syndrome with symptoms such as headache, vomiting, gastrointestinal bleeding, diarrhea... High levels of creatinine in the blood also need to be quickly removed by artificial dialysis (artificial kidney or peritoneal dialysis), so it is necessary to avoid increasing this substance by limiting the intake of meat, fish, eggs...

Brown rice is not good for people with kidney failure undergoing dialysis because it contains a lot of phosphorus.

Limit foods high in phosphorus

Foods high in phosphorus increase blood phosphorus levels in humans.renal failureend stage because the kidneys have lost the ability to excrete phosphorus. When phosphorus levels increase, it will cause bone loss of calcium and osteoporosis. Foods high in phosphorus are dairy products, beans, whole grains (unmilled grains such as brown rice), Coca Cola, and beer.

Limit foods high in salt

Kidney failure has lost the ability to excrete salt through urine, so when the patient eats a lot of salt, water will accumulate, causing edema, increasing blood pressure, acute pulmonary edema, and even symptoms of hypernatremia syndrome such as headache, vomiting, signs of dehydration, and more seriously, coma and death. On the other hand, when eating salty foods, the patient will have to drink a lot of water, which causes excess water in the body too quickly and requires more dialysis. The patientrenal failurePeople with chronic diseases should eat a low-salt diet with less than 1,500 mg of salt per day. Avoid salty foods such as fish sauce, instant noodles, salty canned foods, salted eggs, sea fish...

Avoid foods high in potassium

Hyperkalemia is always a leading dangerous complication in patients with chronic kidney failure who require periodic dialysis. Normally, the amount of potassium in the blood fluctuates between 3.5 - 4.5 mmol/l and is quickly excreted by the kidneys through urine if the amount of potassium from food intake is too much. In people with end-stage kidney failure, the kidney's potassium excretion function is almost zero, so the risk of hyperkalemia is always present and when blood potassium increases, the patient may die from arrhythmia. Foods high in potassium include fruits such as bananas, papaya and some canned foods. Some types of milk also clearly state the amount of potassium on the label and people with kidney failure can refer to it before using.

Control water intake

One of the issues that people with chronic kidney failure who are undergoing periodic dialysis must pay special attention to is adjusting the amount of water entering the body. In normal people, the amount of water entering the body from food and drinking water sources is about 3,000ml and an equivalent amount is lost mainly through urine (about 2,000ml) and a small part through sweat, feces, and breathing. When the kidneys fail, the function of clearing free water or the ability to produce urine is lost. Every 3-4 days, patients must undergo hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis daily to remove excess water entering the body through food and drink. Assuming the total amount of fluid a person with kidney failure eats and drinks during the day is 3,000ml, lost through sweat, breath and feces is about 1,000ml, the patient will have a surplus of 2,000ml or 2 liters/day or 2kg, 2 days is 4kg and 3 days the patient will have a surplus of 6 liters of water or gain 6kg! This excess water is the cause of increased blood pressure, shortness of breath due to acute pulmonary edema and subcutaneous edema (hands, feet, face...) as well as effusion in the peritoneal cavity, pleura, pericardium... in people with chronic kidney failure. Controlling the amount of water entering the body includes eating a low-salt diet to limit water intake, weighing daily to accurately assess the amount of excess water. You can weigh immediately after removing water during artificial blood filtration and then weigh again daily to assess the amount of excess water. For patients on peritoneal dialysis, it is even more necessary to strictly control the amount of water entering and exiting.

According to Dr. Vu Phuong Anh - Suckhoedoisong