HEALTH TIPS TO KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF
Those who know me know I love wearing crazy socks–the crazier the better. This Father’s Day my wife brought me three pairs of hosiery that are entirely appropriate to welovekidneys.com.
While plant-based dieting is beneficial for many illnesses, especially those that contribute to kidney disease, eating fish can also promote health. Fatty fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. They have been shown in many epidemiological studies to have beneficial effects on health. It may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and has been suggested to help depression, maternal and child health, cancer, and dementia. Although results from many studies are inconsistent, and funding restrains the implementation of large clinical trials, studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids have benefits(1).
We discussed the multiple benefits of exercise and increasing physical activity in the welovekidneys (WLK) article, https://kidney.substack.com/p/why-kidney-patients-should-exercise. Exercise training helps treat cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, muscle wasting, aging, and chronic kidney disease. The physiology that brings together the complex systems of mitochondrial energy generation and the role mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays in muscle synthesis will highlight future WLK articles. Luckily, it is unnecessary to understand any of this to know that muscle contraction and endurance exercise work together to enhance the collaboration between multiple body systems to make muscles stronger, keep them from wearing out, and helping us stay young and healthy (2).
Following up with your physician and staying on prescription medications are essential to treating chronic medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease. Health care requirements escalate in conditions that have progressed because we did not treat them early. The adage, “save that nickel, lose that dime” is very appropriate in health care. It has been well studied and demonstrated that the health care costs in CKD are associated with anemia, diabetes, and heart disease can be considerably lowered through proactive and preventive care. A 10-year observational study from Germany showed that while outpatient costs are around 30% higher for chronic kidney disease, inpatient costs are around 3.5 times higher. This is independent of socioeconomic factors (3).
References
1. Shahidi F, Ambigaipalan P. Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Their Health Benefits. Annu Rev Food Sci Technol. 2018;9:345-81.
2. Watson K, Baar K. mTOR and the health benefits of exercise. Seminars in cell & developmental biology. 2014;36:130-9.
3. Baumeister SE, Böger CA, Krämer BK, Döring A, Eheberg D, Fischer B, et al. Effect of Chronic Kidney Disease and Comorbid Conditions on Health Care Costs: A 10-Year Observational Study in a General Population. American journal of nephrology. 2010;31(3):222-9.