The level of creatinine in your body is a marker of kidney function. Creatinine comes from the breakdown of creatine. Creatinine is a waste product that comes from the normal wear and tears of the muscles of the body. Everyone has creatinine in their bloodstream.
Coffee and Kidney Disease
Potassium is an electrolyte that your body needs to function properly and is found in many foods, including coffee. The challenge when living with kidney disease is that your kidneys aren’t able to balance your potassium levels. Therefore, being mindful of how much potassium you consume is important to ensuring your potassium number isn’t too high or too low.
Factor coffee into your fluid allowance
When living with kidney disease, what you drink and how much is important since your kidneys may not be able to filter as much extra fluid from your body. To manage your fluids, your doctor may ask you to limit your fluid intake. If this is the case, be mindful of your coffee consumption and don’t exceed your daily fluid allowance. You may need to limit or avoid drinking coffee if it’s causing excess fluid buildup. When kidneys fail, fluid intake becomes even more important to ensure dialysis can remove enough excess fluid during each treatment.
Sugar
It doesn’t take having a sweet tooth to indulge in sugar. Sugar is found in most foods, natural and processed, so it’s important to be aware of the fact that it is lurking in abundance. Fruits are a source of natural sugar, which offers many vitamins and minerals our bodies need. It’s foods with added sugars, however, that tend to be low on the nutritional value scale. It may surprise you that condiments, bread, and other snack foods contain added sugar too.
Caffeine
Caffeine found in coffee, tea, soda, and foods can also place a strain on your kidneys. Caffeine is a stimulant, which can cause increased blood flow, blood pressure, and stress on the kidneys. Excessive caffeine intake has also been linked to kidney stones.
Salt
Sodium overload leads to increased blood pressure, which puts a strain on your kidneys. The typical American diet has been estimated to contain about 3,300 mg of sodium per day, which is much higher than the 2,300 mg daily maximum (about a teaspoon of salt) recommended by the government for healthy adults.
Can coffee damage your kidneys?
Caffeine found in coffee, tea, soda, and foods can place a strain on your kidneys. Caffeine is a stimulant, which can cause increased blood flow, blood pressure, and stress on the kidneys.
“Take care of your heart”, but “Take care of your kidneys,” is not something you typically hear your doctor say. The importance of these two amazing organs is often overlooked. They are a major powerhouse that keeps your entire body healthy by filtering out toxins and extra fluid in your blood. They also make hormones that keep your bones strong and your blood healthy.
Creatinine Urine Test
Creatinine Urine Test – A simple, painless, low-cost test to check if your kidneys are functioning at optimum levels.
Creatinine is a chemical produced by muscle metabolism. Healthy kidneys filter creatinine and other waste products from the blood. A creatinine urine test measures the amount of creatinine in your urine.
Creatinine values that are outside this range may indicate:
- Failure of Kidneys
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Kidney Disease
- Infection in kidneys
- Myasthenia Gravis
- Urinary Tract Obstructions such as kidney stones