“More trouble in summer” If your kidneys are not good… Don’t eat ‘this kind of fruit’

Today (the 26th), the nation will continue to experience a heatwave with perceived temperatures of over 33 degrees Celsius. The lowest temperature in the morning is forecast to be 24-27 degrees Celsius, and the highest temperature during the day is forecast to be 29-34 degrees Celsius. In the southern regions and Jeju Island, perceived temperatures could exceed 35 degrees Celsius, so caution should be taken against heat-related illnesses.

Heavy rain showers of 30 to 50 mm per hour are possible between the morning and evening, and heavy rain accompanied by thunder, lightning, and gusts will fall in the southern region for two days. The expected precipitation is 30 to 150 mm. The concentration of fine dust will be at a ‘good’ level nationwide.

Today’s Health=Patients with chronic kidney disease whose kidney function is impaired due to chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia should be careful in the summer. This is because sweating in the heat can cause dehydration and abnormal electrolyte concentrations in the body, which can lead to symptoms of acute kidney dysfunction.

△Be careful with fruits and vegetables high in potassium = In summer, seasonal fruits and vegetables are abundant, but patients with chronic kidney disease should be careful about varieties with high potassium content. This is because patients with chronic kidney disease stage 3 or higher, where more than half of the kidney function has been lost, have a reduced amount of potassium excreted through urine. Potassium that cannot be excreted from the body accumulates in the blood and can cause fatal arrhythmia.

Therefore, among fruits, you should be careful with bananas, melons, tomatoes, kiwis, and persimmons. Instead, it is better to eat grapes or apples. Among vegetables, avoid sweet potatoes or green vegetables, and eat colorful vegetables such as eggplants, carrots, cabbage, and bean sprouts. However, it is okay to soak vegetables in warm water for about 2 hours and then rinse or boil them in water before eating.

△Drink water in small portions = Chronic kidney disease patients should be careful of dehydration symptoms that occur due to excessive sweating in the summer heat, but on the other hand, it is also dangerous to drink a lot of water at once when you are hot or thirsty. This is because the ability to regulate electrolytes such as water or sodium is low, so suddenly drinking a lot of water can cause hyponatremia. In particular, if you are receiving dialysis treatment, you can hardly excrete water through urine, so in severe cases, pulmonary edema (lungs swell with body fluids such as water) can occur.

Son Min-jeong, head of the nephrology department at Seoul Metropolitan Seo Nam Hospital, advised, “During the summer, it is better for these patients to drink water in small portions rather than electrolyte drinks with high potassium and sodium content.” He added, “The basis for treating chronic kidney disease is to receive regular checkups and manage hyperglycemia, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia well in daily life.”