Your kidneys probably don’t get much attention.
Your heart gets attention. Your brain gets attention. You worry about your blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, and maybe your blood sugar.
But your kidneys? Most of us don’t think about them until a blood test comes back abnormal.
That’s unfortunate because your kidneys are working for you 24 hours a day. They filter waste from your blood, help control your blood pressure, balance fluids and minerals, and help regulate red blood cell production.
And like the rest of your body, your kidneys change as you get older.
The good news is that kidney disease is not an inevitable part of aging. Many of the things that put stress on your kidneys are things you can change.
Sometimes they are surprisingly ordinary things you do every day.
Here are seven worth paying attention to.
1. Taking Too Many NSAID Pain Relievers
Got a sore back? A cranky knee? A shoulder that reminds you of that tennis match 20 years ago?
It is easy to reach for ibuprofen or naproxen.
These medications belong to a group called NSAIDs—nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They can be very effective for pain and inflammation, but frequent or excessive use can reduce blood flow to the kidneys and, in some people, cause kidney injury.
The risk becomes more important if you are older, dehydrated, already have kidney disease, or take certain blood pressure medicines or diuretics.
This does not mean you can never take an NSAID.
It means that if you find yourself taking one regularly, particularly for weeks or months, it is worth discussing with your doctor.
DR. MIKE’S TAKE
An over-the-counter medication is still a medication. “I can buy it without a prescription” does not mean “I can take as much as I want forever.”
2. Not Drinking Enough Fluid
Your kidneys need adequate blood flow to do their job.
When you become significantly dehydrated, blood volume falls and your kidneys receive less blood. Severe or repeated dehydration can contribute to kidney injury, particularly in people who are already vulnerable.
And dehydration can sneak up on us as we get older because our sense of thirst may become less reliable.
Hot weather, gardening, exercise, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and certain medications can increase your fluid needs.
Does that mean everyone needs eight glasses of water every day?
No.
Fluid needs vary. Some people with heart failure, advanced kidney disease, or other medical conditions may actually need to limit fluids.
For most healthy adults, however, drinking regularly and paying attention to thirst—especially during heat and exercise—is a good habit.
3. Eating Too Much Salt
You may be wondering:
What does salt have to do with my kidneys?
Quite a bit.
A high-sodium diet can raise blood pressure in susceptible people. And high blood pressure is one of the major causes of chronic kidney disease.
Think of your kidneys as millions of tiny filters supplied by delicate blood vessels. Years of excessive pressure can damage those vessels and reduce the kidneys’ ability to filter your blood.
The biggest problem usually isn’t the salt shaker.
It is the sodium hiding in processed foods, restaurant meals, deli meats, canned soups, frozen meals, chips, sauces, and packaged foods.
Start looking at labels. You may be surprised. A meal that doesn’t taste particularly salty can still contain a large portion of an entire day’s sodium.
Quick Health Upgrade
Instead of trying to eliminate salt completely, start by replacing one highly processed food each day with a less processed option.
Small changes add up.
4. Ignoring High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure usually doesn’t hurt. That is precisely why it is so dangerous.
You can walk around for years feeling perfectly fine while elevated blood pressure slowly damages blood vessels in your heart, brain, eyes—and kidneys.
Your kidneys and blood pressure are closely connected. Kidney disease can raise blood pressure, and high blood pressure can further damage the kidneys.
It can become a vicious cycle.
If you are over 50, know your blood pressure.
Not what it was three years ago.
Know what it is now.
If it is consistently elevated, talk with your healthcare professional about what your individual goal should be and what you can do to reach it.
5. Letting Blood Sugar Stay Too High
Diabetes is another major cause of chronic kidney disease.
Over time, elevated blood sugar can damage the tiny blood vessels inside the kidneys that perform the filtering.
The tricky part? Early diabetic kidney disease usually causes no symptoms. You may feel perfectly healthy.
That is why blood and urine testing matter.
If you have diabetes, ask about your eGFR, which estimates how well your kidneys are filtering, and a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio, which can detect small amounts of protein leaking into the urine.
Finding kidney damage early gives you and your healthcare team an opportunity to protect the kidney function you still have.
REMEMBER THIS
Kidney disease can be silent. Feeling well does not necessarily mean your kidneys are functioning normally.
6. Smoking
You knew this one was coming.
Smoking damages blood vessels throughout your body—including those supplying your kidneys. It also increases the risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and kidney cancer.
And if you already have kidney disease, smoking may accelerate its progression.
I know quitting isn’t easy.
I spent decades talking with patients about smoking, and very few needed another lecture about why cigarettes were bad for them. They already knew.
What they needed was a plan.
If you smoke, talk with your doctor about medications, nicotine replacement, counseling, or a combination of approaches.
Even if you have smoked for decades, quitting still matters.
7. Living on Ultra-Processed Foods
Your kidneys don’t see individual foods the way you do.
They see the consequences.
A diet dominated by ultra-processed foods can mean excessive sodium, excess calories, added sugars, and poor overall nutritional quality.
Over time, that pattern can contribute to obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
All of these can increase your risk of kidney disease.
You don’t need a special “kidney detox.” Your kidneys are the detox system.
Help them by giving your body more of the foods associated with better overall health:
Vegetables. Fruits. Whole grains. Beans. Nuts. Fish. Lean proteins. Healthy fats.
And fewer foods that come in packages containing an ingredient list that looks like a chemistry experiment.
Your Kidneys Usually Don’t Complain
That may be the most important lesson. Kidney disease can progress quietly for years. There may be no pain. No dramatic warning sign. No morning when you wake up and suddenly think: “I believe my eGFR has declined.”
That is why prevention and routine testing matter, particularly as we get older.
If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, a family history of kidney disease, or known kidney problems, talk with your healthcare professional about how often your kidney function should be checked.
Usually, a simple blood test and urine test can tell us a great deal.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Protecting your kidneys doesn’t require a complicated program.
Use pain medications wisely. Stay adequately hydrated. Watch excessive sodium. Control your blood pressure and blood sugar. Don’t smoke. And build most of your diet around minimally processed foods.
None of those sounds revolutionary.
But healthy aging usually isn’t about doing one revolutionary thing.
It is about doing the ordinary things consistently.
Your kidneys have been working quietly for you every minute of every day.
It is worth returning the favor.
Try This Today
The next time you pick up a packaged food, turn it around and look at the sodium.
Don’t change your entire diet today.
Just look.
Awareness is often where change starts.
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