Does eating sweets cause kidney failure?

Many people believe that eating salty foods is bad for the kidneys and eating sweet foods causes overweight and obesity. Is this true? (Trang, 33 years old, Hanoi).

Reply:

Not only salty foods but also foods high in sugar can harm the kidneys. Sugar harms the kidneys in many different ways:

Overweight, obesity: Sugar can cause metabolic disorders by increasing different types of fat in the body, making you gain weight and become obese. This is the leading factor promoting the progression of type 2 diabetes. Metabolic disorders and diabetes are important causes of damage to blood vessels, including the kidney vessels, leading to chronic kidney failure.

Increased sodium absorption: Research shows that consuming a lot of glucose increases the absorption of sodium in the small intestine, causing the kidneys to work harder to excrete excess salt.

High blood pressure: Sugar inhibits the body's production of nitric oxide (NO), a compound that stimulates blood vessel walls to dilate. Eating too much sugar stimulates the narrowing of blood vessels, causing high blood pressure, kidney disease, and accelerating the progression of chronic kidney disease.

Kidney stones: Sugar, especially fructose, can increase the amount of calcium and oxalate in the urine, facilitating the formation of calcium oxalate crystals and causing kidney stones.

Therefore, you should limit foods high in sugar to protect your health in general and your kidney health in particular.

Food groups containing a lot of sugar should be limited such as industrial soft drinks including soft drinks, milk tea, bottled fruit juice, carbonated drinks containing sugar. Snacks such as cakes, cookies, candy, chocolate, peanut butter, potato chips... Limit canned sauces and spices, dried fruits and cereals.

Smoothies and fruit juices are healthy because they provide a variety of vitamins and fiber. However, consuming too much can also be harmful because of the sugar content. Avoid added sugar and choose fruits with low sugar content such as lemon, passion fruit, orange, grapefruit, apple, papaya, strawberry, watermelon.

Doctor Nguyen Van Thanh
Department of Internal Medicine, Hanoi Medical University Hospital

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