Have you ever wondered why many people with kidney disease are told to watch their weight? Here's the basic info on calories, üoverweight and underweight in kidney disease.
Why are calories important?
A sufficient energy intake is the basis for being able to maintain all body functions (e.g. heartbeat, breathing, circulation, etc.). It regularly happens that people with kidney disease have problems with insufficient or insufficient energy supply. Especially in advanced kidney disease, recommendations for a low-potassium, low-phosphate and low-protein diet often mean that calories come up short. Yet your body needs to be supplied with adequate energy.
Simply put, too much energy intake, not only in kidney disease, leads to ¨overweight. An undersupply of energy can lead to weight loss. Neither case, as you will learn later, is optimal for your health.
Why does my weight matter if I have kidney disease?
With existing kidney disease, you should always try to keep your body mass index (= BMI) within the range of normal weight. We'll explain what that means in a moment. A BMI in the overweight range is not optimal, but it is still tolerable. Underweight or obesity, i.e. massive overweight, pose a real risk to you and your health in the case of kidney disease. The reasons for this are many:
1. &Overweight in kidney disease
A clear übergewicht can be actually Auslöser of a chronic renal insufficiency. However, not only can excess weight precipitate kidney disease, it can also accelerate its progression to kidney failure.
This can lead to people with significant &overweight ending up on dialysis more quickly than those with a BMI in the normal range. Obesity is also a risk factor for developing diabetes or high blood pressure. Both conditions can also affect your kidney disease and further accelerate its progression. A healthy weight therefore supports your kidneys in their work and also keeps your cardiovascular system and metabolism fit and efficient. That's 3 reasons to give it your best shot.
2. Underweight in kidney disease
In contrast, being underweight also poses a risk to people with kidney disease. This is mainly because a particularly large number of people with kidney disease are affected by unwanted weight loss. The more advanced the kidney disease, the higher the risk of malnutrition.
The reason for this is that toxins can no longer be properly eliminated by your kidneys. These toxins then push your appetite into the basement. In addition, there are a large number of dietary restrictions associated with kidney disease. All this can lead to an undersupply of important nutrients and thus to nutritional deficiencies. So it is all the more important to know your target values for the day and to make sure you eat enough food.
What counts as &overweight or underweight?
One of the things used to calculate your optimal weight is your BMI. The BMI is calculated from your body weight and your body size and helps you to interpret your weight correctly. To calculate your BMI, your body weight is divided by the square of your height. The unit of BMI is therefore kg/m2. To better interpret your BMI, corresponding zones have been defined.
For a comprehensive assessment of your body weight, there are a few other tricks your renal team can consult in practice. As part of the standardized subjective global assessment (=SGA), changes in recent food and fluid intake, weight changes, reasons for reduced food intake and a physical examination for muscle and fat loss are combined for an objective analysis of your current nutritional status. In addition, in case of very rapid weight fluctuations, water retention should always be considered.
What are the signs of malnutrition?
While it is often relatively easy to recognize overweight, this is less the case for underweight and malnutrition. Loss of appetite, fatigue and body weakness are often the first typical signs of malnutrition. In addition, rapid weight loss of more than 5% of body weight in 3 months or a BMI (body mass index) below 23 may indicate insufficient nutrition. If you notice that you have no appetite and are therefore eating inadequately for a long time, you should definitely contact your doctor. People with nutritional deficiencies are also more likely to become ill and less able to tolerate medical therapies.
How many calories per day should I eat?
As a rule of thumb, for you with kidney disease, even if you are on dialysis or have already had a kidney transplant, guidelines are 25 to 35 kcal per kg of body weights per day. A simple example: With a body weight of 70 kilos, this corresponds to a daily energy intake of 1,750 to 2,450 kcal. In comparison, an average meal contains between 800 and 1,200 kcal of energy, and a bar of chocolate contains about 400 kcal. In patients under 60 kilos, should übrigens with 35 kcal per day per kilo be expected.
How can I make sure I'm eating the appropriate amount of calories?
It is important that you do not simply quälst in your diet with kidney disease, and do without things. Kidney disease does not mean that you have to fast - on the contrary. Rather, you should be careful to find healthy foods that taste good to you.
At the same time, weighing yourself should be part of your routine. Weigh yourself at least once every 1 - 2 weeks to keep track of not only your BMI, but also long-term changes in your weight. Not only a low BMI, but already a continuous weight loss with a high BMI, can be a sign of nutritional deficiency.
You can keep a close eye on your weight.
You can also set a daily calorie target in the settings of your Mizu app. This way you can easily check whether you are eating enough calories despite your low phosphate and low potassium diet. Useful tools such as your food diary or the blogs of the Mizu app, which provide you with important information at a glance, help you to do this.
