New Delhi: Experts warned on Saturday that a diet heavy in sodium and lacking in potassium is harmful to health, especially for the kidneys.
This imbalance can worsen pre-existing kidney damage by raising the workload on the kidneys and encouraging inflammation. It can also result in hypertension, which is the main cause of chronic kidney disease.
Electrolytes like sodium and potassium are essential for maintaining the body’s fluid balance.
Blood pressure is elevated by eating too much sodium and insufficient potassium, which can have terrifying long-term effects such as renal damage, heart disease and stroke.
“Sodium and potassium are electrolytes that are important for maintaining fluid balance in the body. Consuming too much sodium and too little potassium raises blood pressure, eventually leading to kidney damage, heart disease, and stroke,” Mohit Khirbat, Consultant, Nephrology, CK Birla Hospital, told IANS.
“Large amounts of sodium draw fluid into the blood vessels, leading to hypervolemia and high blood pressure. Enough potassium intake helps increase sodium losses, controls blood pressure, and lowers kidney and heart damage,” he further noted.
Kir4.2, a critical protein in the kidney, is vital for maintaining acid-base balance. It is responsible for reabsorbing essential substances, and dysfunction can result in proximal renal tubular acidosis, a condition in which the kidney is unable to handle acid properly.
Kir4.2 and 4.1 are potassium channels located on the basolateral membranes of the proximal and distal tubules, respectively.
They aid in the movement of potassium through the kidney inside the cells.
Angiotensin type 2 receptors regulate the expression of these channels, which play a key role in blood pressure modulation.
“Kir4.2, a critical protein in the kidney, plays a significant role in maintaining acid-base balance. It is involved in reabsorbing essential substances, and its dysfunction can lead to proximal renal tubular acidosis, a condition where the kidney cannot properly handle acid. Kir4.2 and 4.1 are the potassium channels present on the basolateral membrane of the Proximal tubule and Distal tubule, respectively. They help in the inward movement of potassium through the kidney inside the cells,” Anuja Porwal, Director of Nephrology at Fortis Hospital, told IANS.
“Expression of these channels is regulated by Angiotensin type 2 receptors, which play a key role in blood pressure modulation,”| she added.
Making lifestyle changes, especially diet, is a good way out of this medical labyrinth.
