When people hit the later stages of kidney disease (stage 3 and after), they experience more of this swelling in the ankles. This is a common issue seen in the end stages of kidney disease. 

 

Excess fluid can build up in your body when your kidneys stop working properly which can then lead to swelling in the ankles and other parts of your body. This is also known as edema. In today’s video, Robert goes over 3 measures to help improve the swelling that individuals experience from kidney disease.

 

The first step would be to lower your sodium intake in every area of your renal diet. We know that 2200 mg of sodium is the recommendation for kidney disease but to reduce swelling and improve edema, you should try to stay in the range of 1500 mg per day or lower. A high sodium diet adversely increases the amount of protein in your urine which leads to a decline in kidney function. 

 

The second thing you can do to help reduce the swelling is to check the protein levels in your urine. When your urine carries out high amounts of protein with it, your albumin levels drop significantly. When these levels decrease, your body lacks the adequate protein required to regulate the fluid balance in your bloodstream. To correct this, you can moderately incorporate more protein into your renal diet. 

 

Using essential amino acids or keto analogues of essential amino acids is another way to correct this issue. Essential amino acids are the building blocks of protein and they help provide you with all the protein you need without stressing the kidneys. This has also shown to improve the imbalance in your albumin levels. 

 

The third tip to lessen the swelling in your ankles is to avoid sitting down for long hours. Especially if you have a desk job, Robert suggests getting up and moving around for a couple of minutes every now and then. When you sit down for long periods of time, the swelling builds up more and more. To avoid this, make sure to get up and move around about one minute for every hour that you stay put. 

 

Ketoanalogues Of Essential Amino Acids May Help Slow The Decline In Kidney Function

A Deeper Look Into A Therapeutic Renal Diet 

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