Kidney Health: Diet, Exercise, and Medical Considerations

Maintaining regular exercise and avoiding nephrotoxic drugs are crucial for kidney health management, according to Dr. Geon Park.

### Debunking and Clarifying Common Misconceptions About Kidney Health
* 👩 Depending on the type of kidney disease, it is possible to **recover kidney function** through specific treatments, so an **accurate diagnosis** is crucial.
* 🍽 While diet is important for kidney health, the low level of physical activity among modern people is often **overlooked**.
* Contrary to the misconception that a low-salt diet is outdated, it has been proven to be beneficial for kidney health based on **epidemiological evidence from the 1990s and 2000s**.
* 🍌 It is more objective to emphasize consuming potassium within a well-balanced diet, rather than relying solely on **potassium-rich foods like bananas**.
* Patients with chronic kidney failure should be cautious about potassium intake, as it can lead to **hyperkalemia**.
* 🏋 Regular exercise is a key factor in maintaining kidney health, and managing blood sugar levels is crucial, especially for individuals with **diabetes**.
* 🥗 The DASH diet, which focuses on consuming **less sodium and more minerals, trace elements, and proteins**, is recommended for kidney health.

Hello, this is Dr. Jung Jong-cheol from Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Nephrology. There is a lot of information on the internet, but today, I will take some time to verify whether such information is accurate or not. [Music] Hello, I'm your health doctor, Dr. Geon Park, who reveals information that doctors never tell you on Dr. Geon Park TV. As a nephrologist, one thing I want to correct is that there is no way to reverse it once it's damaged. Depending on the type of disease, the treatment methods vary significantly. Even if you feel a bit desperate when your kidney function is almost completely lost, depending on the type of disease, there are many kidney diseases where you can recover kidney function through specific treatments. So, it seems like you may have misspoken a bit. Therefore, it is important to have an accurate diagnosis.

First of all, I would like to talk about something fundamental. Before it seriously deteriorates, the most important thing is to consume good food for lifelong kidney health management. It's actually not easy to say that it is the most important because kidney diseases deteriorate due to complex causes. However, what is important is that although diet is important, one of the most overlooked things among us modern people is the low level of physical activity. Neglecting that aspect and overly emphasizing only the diet could be a bit biased. Appropriate medication is also very important, and avoiding medications that harm the kidneys is crucial. Focusing only on food is somewhat different from reality. I would like to mention that. However, many people have a misunderstanding. The fact is that low-salt diet is a way to protect the kidneys.

It has been proven that even with a high intake of sodium, it does not affect the mortality rate due to kidney disease. The fact that a low-salt diet is beneficial for kidney disease is not a long-known fact as it is relatively recent, based on epidemiological evidence from the 1990s and 2000s. It's not like facts from the 50s or 60s, but rather through scientific methods, the effectiveness of a low-salt diet has been known. I would like to point out that it is not an outdated or obsolete belief. What's even more important is potassium. Even if you consume a lot of sodium, as long as you also consume a lot of potassium, there is no problem at all. It was an interesting point made that even with a high sodium intake, if you consume a lot of potassium, the positive effects of potassium will outweigh the negative effects.

Although there have been reports on the epidemiological association of why potassium supplementation is beneficial in terms of reducing long-term mortality, the mechanism behind it is still just a hypothesis. Therefore, it is a bit difficult to conclusively state. Let's delve a bit deeper. Of course, for patients with serious kidney disease, it is not well known how to fundamentally keep the body healthy through food. You were explaining it well, but you slightly shifted towards blaming the medical staff. Even if you consume a lot of sodium, it is okay as long as you also eat potassium. Why do you keep insisting on just focusing on food when calling? There are several reasons for this. One reason is that patients with chronic kidney failure, whose kidneys are damaged, may exceed the normal potassium concentration when taking potassium, leading to hyperkalemia, which can be fatal as it can cause arrhythmia.

Because it is related to sudden cardiac death, it is very cautious to recommend inducing hyperkalemia. However, as epidemiological evidence is accumulating, unless the renal function is extremely compromised, we are not yet recommending the intake of potassium-rich vegetables or nuts, but rather limiting it to some extent. The focus in clinical practice is much more conservative, and encountering patients with hypokalemia in practice is very rare. This is because the body's potassium balance is regulated by the kidneys, so even with low potassium intake, a decrease in potassium concentration in the body is rare. Potassium is low in patients with impaired renal function regulating potassium balance. Towards the end, doctors criticized why there is little interest in food.

Interestingly, the individuals who led the research on diets are doctors. They are very interested and conducting a lot of research on low-sodium and high-potassium diets. These studies have been steadily protected from the 2010s to the 2020s. Since it is a study conducted by a single institution, the process of inducing an overall consensus in the medical field is currently ongoing. Therefore, until there is more consensus in the medical field, it is recommended to maintain a low-sodium diet. And it is not to negate the results of the research. Epidemiological studies have been conducted on a large scale, which is very meaningful, but caution is needed in interpreting them. Especially for patients with diseases visiting hospitals, different mechanisms may operate compared to the general population. Therefore, it may be difficult to apply those things universally. Too busy to...

I don't have much interest in food, and I have criticized that I am only interested in taking medicine. I feel sorry that it is a bit overwhelming to provide detailed nutritional counseling now that the consultation time is not long. However, doctors are also very interested in food, and I will ask again how to express it. We are sorry that we are too busy to have time to study the latest truths. Some have criticized that we are too busy during consultation hours to even have time to study. We are studying hard to provide rational and applicable treatments in the domestic field. Among the activities of the teachers, there is an activity called an academic conference, which is a concept of gathering together to study. As for the DASH diet, as I mentioned earlier, it is about consuming less sodium and more magnesium for proper research results.

It means that it's okay to eat a lot of salt. Even if you don't eat breakfast today, if you don't eat kimchi, vegetables, or meat, essential nutrients may be severely lacking, leading to bigger health problems. The so-called 대출식단 (low salt diet) is a diet developed in the United States, focusing on how to lower blood pressure through diet alone for hypertensive patients. As you mentioned, it mainly consists of three elements: vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. The reason why the 대수식단 (low salt diet) became famous is that they directly provided meals to patients. Instead of just giving instructions like do this, they provided meals directly to see how blood pressure changes. The standard for a low-salt diet is based on a sodium intake of 2.3g.

In terms of salt, it is roughly equivalent to about 5 grams. This standard was established based on the average salt content provided in the DASH diet, which is about 5 grams. The reason for this decision is that patients who have meals based on the DASH diet have shown a clear decrease in blood pressure even without additional medication. Therefore, low-salt diets like the DASH diet are recommended. Despite following a low-salt diet in the DASH diet, efforts were made to ensure that other nutrients such as minerals, trace elements, and proteins are not lacking. In addition, specific cooking methods are introduced to address the concern that reducing salt may lead to a lack of taste. It is pointed out that using pepper or other spices can be a good alternative when salt is reduced, as this may be the biggest challenge for many people who feel that food lacks taste without salt. Detailed methods of using other seasonings are also provided, so those who are interested can take this opportunity to learn more.

If you look for a Dash diet, you might be able to apply it well. When it comes to ways to consume a lot of potassium, you mentioned bananas. Bananas are indeed a fruit rich in potassium and fiber, which can also be helpful for bowel movements. However, when dealing with nutrition-related matters, it is always important to be cautious. People who have shown good results have not just eaten bananas like the person you mentioned. In fact, based on the results that have shown good outcomes in nutrition studies, it would be more objective to emphasize that people who had a slightly higher ratio of potassium within a well-balanced diet showed good results. Consuming potassium in a refined form can be very dangerous because it can cause significant gastrointestinal disorders.

It's a completely different story to directly consume synthesized compounds by supplementing with food ingredients that can also cause ulcers. Secondly, it is a very risky suggestion to say that you should consume refined potassium in health supplements, as it is still medically incorrect. So, you should not follow that advice. Feel free to enjoy salty foods like kimchi stew and ramen, and instead, make sure to intake potassium well. In most cases, your kidneys can function well without any issues for a long time. This has been Dr. Geon's TV. Saying that it's okay to eat a lot of potassium at the same time has a few problems. There is a term in nutrition called Nutritivism. As I mentioned earlier, just because a specific diet has shown healthy results, thinking that supplementing with the elements included in that specific diet will be helpful may seem logical, but it does not necessarily

Food, in addition to those elements, also contains fiber or various elements such as millet. Recently, there has been talk about intestinal microbes. Because it is a complex entity where various elements gather, it seems appropriate to interpret food as food. Medically, what habits are recommended to help kidney health? What is lacking in modern people is not so much the impact as the fact that it is the amount of exercise. Regular exercise is a key factor in maintaining kidney health. One of the main causes of kidney damage is now diabetes. Therefore, it is important to manage blood sugar well and even if you have a disorder, it is important to exercise regularly to make up for the lack of exercise. Avoiding nephrotoxic drugs is also important. These are the two things that I can mention.

Yes, how was it? Did it help a lot? I hope you take good care of your kidney health and maintain a healthy life. Thank you. 

Yes, how was it? Did it help a lot? I hope you take good care of your kidney health and maintain a healthy life. Thank you.

저염식 힘들게 하는 대신 이것만 먹으면 신장이 살아난다!? [유사의학 vs 분당서울대병원]

세계 의료의 표준을 선도하는 국민의 병원, 분당서울대학교병원입니다.
Lead the Standard, Build the Trust, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital!

분당서울대학교병원

Debunking Common Myths About Kidney Health

There are various treatment methods available depending on the type of kidney disease, and recovery of kidney function is possible in many cases.

Emphasizing only diet for kidney health may be biased, as physical activity and medication are also crucial.

The effectiveness of a low-salt diet and the importance of potassium for kidney health are supported by recent scientific evidence, debunking outdated beliefs.

The Hypothesized Benefits of Potassium Supplementation

Potassium supplementation's long-term mortality reduction is epidemiologically associated but lacks a confirmed mechanism.

For patients with serious kidney disease, the fundamental approach to maintaining body health through food is not well-known.

The focus in clinical practice is conservative, as high potassium intake can lead to hyperkalemia, especially in patients with impaired renal function.

The Significance of the DASH Diet in Hypertension Treatment

The DASH diet focuses on reducing sodium intake and increasing magnesium for research-backed results in lowering blood pressure.

It gained fame for providing meals directly to patients and has been shown to effectively decrease blood pressure without medication.

The diet also addresses concerns about potential nutrient deficiencies and offers alternative seasoning methods to compensate for reduced salt intake.

The Importance of Potassium in a Balanced Diet

Eating a lot of potassium-rich foods, like bananas, can aid in bowel movements, but it's essential to consume potassium as part of a well-balanced diet.

Consuming refined potassium or taking it as a health supplement can be dangerous and lead to gastrointestinal disorders.

It's risky to follow advice that promotes high consumption of refined potassium, so it's better to focus on getting potassium from natural food sources.

The Importance of Exercise and Blood Sugar Management for Kidney Health

Food plays a crucial role in overall health, including kidney health, and it is important to focus on fiber and millet as part of the diet.

Regular exercise is a key habit recommended for maintaining kidney health, especially in light of the impact of diabetes on kidney damage.

Managing blood sugar levels and avoiding nephrotoxic drugs are also essential for kidney health.