Your kidneys do a little of everything, a lot of some things, and all of a few things. Put another way, your kidneys are essential to such a vast array of filtration and regulatory tasks that we could consider them metabolic MVPs.

However, there’s a flipside…

Kidneys may be the Little Organs that Could, but doing so much for you costs them a lot, and they need a smorgasbord of raw materials to stay healthy. However, for many people, trying to take control their kidney health seems as advisable as opening Pandora’s box with dynamite.

But that’s not true. It only feels that way. This blog is intended to illuminate the first step. Dipping our toes in the shallow end, as it were, so we can see how easy nutrition really can be. Many who are reading this blog have suffered a kidney injury or unfortunate congenital issue. But if that is the case, it never means your circumstances are hopeless, it simply means your kidneys are looking to you for help now more than ever.

And you can give it to them.

So we’re not going to look at every mineral and macromolecule you can give your kidneys. We’re not even going to look at all the vitamins. The remaining length of this blog is about nothing more than the B-vitamins that your kidneys will appreciate. As we proceed, watch for overlap, not only in foods that contain more than one vitamin, but also overlap in the things you may already enjoy eating that have been supporting your kidneys all along.

Thiamine (B1): Thiamine is directly involved in breaking down food energy for every cell in the body, including the hardworking kidney cells. Whole grains, nuts, seeds, and fish are excellent sources.

Riboflavin (B2): Riboflavin is an armor-vitamin, protecting kidney cells from free radicals. It also works as a precursor vitamin, undergirding the metabolism of other vitamins. Leafy vegetables, milk and eggs can provide riboflavin.

Niacin (B3): Niacin is an important factor in cholesterol regulation. Proper cholesterol level helps prevent the formation of arterial plaques, which would otherwise impeded blood flow to the kidneys. So niacin supports the blood flow that kidneys need to remain healthy, and keep the rest of the body healthy by filtering wastes and toxins. Poultry and fish are excellent sources of niacin.

Pantothenic Acid (B5): Pantothenic acid is essential for the production of coenzyme A, which is involved in the body’s stress responses. Kidneys filter wastes and toxins without reprieve, so reduction of chemical and nervous stress is essential for proper kidney function. Eggs, avocados and sweet potatoes contain pantothenic acid.

Pyridoxine (B6): Pyridoxine aids in protein metabolism. Since the kidneys have to filter waste products from protein breakdown, maintaining proper B6 levels relieves kidneys of metabolic stress. Fish, poultry, and bananas are sources of pyridoxine, to name a few.

Biotin (B7): Biotin is necessary for proper metabolism of all three major macromolecules (fats, carbs and protein) so like B6, B7 levels need to be maintained to reduce stress on kidneys by reducing the metabolic wastes they must filter. Eggs, nuts and seeds are high in biotin.

Folate (B9): Folate is important for red blood cell production, which supplies the kidneys with oxygen, and for cell division, which is essential for the upkeep of all organs, including kidneys. Green leafys and citrus fruit are excellent sources of folate.

Cobalamin (B12): Cobalamin, like its cousin folate, is necessary for red blood cell production, and thereby the live-giving oxygen that those blood cells carry. Cobalamin also assists in DNA synthesis, making it essential for the maintenance of all cells, kidney or otherwise. Cobalamin is found most easily in meat, eggs, and milk.

Note how many foods above appear in a normal diet. How about the milk you put on your cereal? Or notice how frequently fish and poultry show up, and who doesn’t like chicken? Your kidneys do amazing things for you, and it’s within your power to thank them, nutritionally, at least.

So let’s “B” kind to our kidneys, they’re certainly kind to us!

Thanks for reading,

               Transonic Systems, Inc.

                        The Measure of Better Results

Reference:

Nutrients: Lifeline for Kidney Health – Medical News (medical-news.org)