Carbonated drinks and Kidney stones
Carbonated drinks such as Coca-cola, Pepsi and their variants have negative effects along with their “refreshingly great taste”. They are linked with diseases like diabetes, hypertension and most importantly causing chronic kidney diseases. Carbonated beverages even if it is regular or sugar-free / diet / 0 calories hurt have negative effects on your kidney’s health.
These pretty beverages are packed with several chemicals that cause harm to your body, the main potent chemical which is present in these drinks is phosphoric acid which causes negative effects on your kidney that may possibly lead to kidney failure or permanent kidney damage. Before we begin to talk about the relationship between your kidney and carbonated beverages. Let us learn what is a kidney stone?
A kidney stone is a hard, pebble-like deposit that forms in your kidney. They are mostly made out of minerals and salts. Kidney stones occur in about 11% of men and 7% of women. They can cause extreme discomfort and pain when they are passed.
How do the carbonated beverages help in the formation of these stones?
Soda is made out of many chemicals including high levels of processed bleached sugar, caffeine, high fructose corn syrup, and phosphoric acid. These ingredients can be extremely harmful, especially when consumed in large amounts. High fructose corn syrup can metabolize into oxalate and increase the secretion of uric acid and combination. This encourages kidney stone formation. Phosphoric acid, on the other hand, creates an acidic environment in your kidney tract enabling kidney stones to form more easily.
Caffeine is a diuretic that encourages chronic dehydration which is the most common risk factor for kidney stone formation.
Does drinking carbonation beverages hurt your kidney?
It doesn’t affect them directly but the sugary beverage does increase your risk of kidney stones. One study has found out that drinking 2 or more carbonated beverages in a day resulted in kidney stones and it did not matter whether they are sugarless or not. People who drink soda regularly are at a 33% greater risk of developing kidney diseases.
The consumption of dark carbonated beverages makes you more vulnerable to stone than light citrus beverages. Additionally, consumers who drink beverages that contain high amounts of fructose or phosphoric acid are more prone to kidney failures.
Not just that but consuming large amounts of soda is linked with proteinuria or increased excretion of urine in the protein, which is an indicator of kidney dysfunction. It can lead to hypertension and diabetes which also causes kidney failure, reduced functions of the kidney and kidney stones. Other studies conducted in rats found that moderate fructose intake increases the kidney’s protein sensitivity to a protein (angiotensin II). Since kidneys regulate salt balance, it leads to increased salt reabsorption by cells in the kidney.
You can go easy on your kidney by considering to drink more water and less soda. Old fashioned, homemade lemonade is one of the healthier options for your body. Carbonated beverages are not entirely evil; regular or heavy soda drinkers seem to face a lot of kidney problems that arise with this bad habit of theirs. Your carbonated beverage is affecting your body more than you think it is.
Creatinine Urine Test
Creatinine Urine Test – A simple, painless, low cost test to check if your kidney’s are functioning at optimum levels. Creatinine is a chemical produced by muscle metabolism. Healthy Kidneys filter creatinine and other waste products from the blood and are removed. A creatinine urine test measures the amount of creatinine in your urine.
Normal urine creatinine values range from 955 to 2936 mg in a 24 hour period for males and 600 to 1689mg for females according to Mayo Clinic. (link to mayo clinic provided below, you should link Mayo Clinic to that url). Creatinine values that are outside this range may indicate:
- Kidney Disease
- Infection in kidneys
- Failure of Kidneys
- Urinary Tract Obstruction such as kidney stones
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Myasthenia Gravis
It is advisable to get this test done once every 6 months as advised by best urologist in Chennai. As they say, “prevention is better than cure”, you can have a heads up on your kidney’s health before bigger and expensive damage happens.
