The Right Diet Can Slow Polycystic Kidney Disease(PKD)

The symptoms associated with PKD are multiple fluid-filled cysts within the kidneys. These cysts interfere with the kidneys’ natural function of filtering out the toxic wastes resulting from the body’s normal functions. Moreover, there is noticeable swelling of the kidneys because of the numerous cysts within them. Unfortunately, as at today, there is no known effective cure and a person diagnosed with PKD can develop kidney failure. The only way forward is to follow a strict polycystic kidney disease diet.

Although there's no cure for polycystic kidney disease yet, what you eat can have a real effect on how fast the condition progresses. This is why a kidney support diet or "renal diet" is generally considered the best natural treatment for polycystic kidney disease.

It's important to start early, though. If you suspect you carry the polycystic kidney disease gene, but haven't had symptoms of the disease, start following a renal diet anyway. Eating right before you show symptoms is the most effective way to use diet to slow the progression of PKD. Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. It is increasing being recognized that following an alkaline diet is the way forward to combat PKD. Essentially an alkaline diet means eating lots of fruit and vegetables. You indirectly gain the added benefit of increasing fibre in your diet and a following a low fat diet. Fibre is important for digestion and helps to avoid stomach and intestine cancer. Low fat intake is important to avoid high blood pressure.

2. Since one of the symptoms is usually blood in the urine, this means drinking lots of water to deter clots from forming in the urinary tract. Water also has other benefits in other kidney diets such as a diet plan for kidney disease, diets to avoid kidney stones and diets made for renal patients.

It goes without saying that smoking should be stopped so as to prevent high blood pressure that is associated with this disease. And regular exercise should be started unless already doing so. Thirty minutes a day would be ideal.

3.When your liver breaks down protein, it produces a waste product called urea, which your kidneys are responsible for getting rid of. That means excess protein in the diet puts a strain on the kidneys.

Track how much protein you eat on an average day and if you discover you're getting more than the USDA Recommended Daily Allowance of .8 grams of protein per kilo of body weight , try to cut back. Eat less meat, cheese, and even a little less of the higher protein beans and legumes like chickpeas and lentils. Use vegetables and grains for your main dishes and if you need extra calories, add healthy fats like avocados and olive oil.

4. Flax seed oil has also been show to help ease the symptoms of PKD. Flax oil is an excellent source of a group of fatty acids that are thought to have anti-hypertensive, lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory effects. All of these benefits can help with polycystic kidney disease.

5. Coffee, tea, colas and other caffeine-containing foods and beverages are poor choices if you have polycystic kidney disease, according to the Huaxia Kidney Disease Hospital.