World Health Day: Importance of Being 'Water-Wise'- 4 Fundamental Tips for Kidney Health

Learn how to maintain kidney health by staying hydrated. Explore tips from an expert on the right amount of water to drink and its impact on kidney function and overall health.

Maintain kidney health by being "water-wise." (Image credit: Freepik)

Maintain kidney health by being "water-wise." This includes drinking the appropriate amount of water for you. A popular misunderstanding is that everyone should drink eight glasses of water every day; however, because everyone is unique, daily water requirements will differ. The amount of water required varies depending on age, climate, activity intensity, pregnancy, lactation, and illness.

Dr Prakash Chandra Shetty, Urologist, Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital, Powai, Mumbai says, "Water accounts for 60-70% of your body weight, and it is required for every component of your body to function effectively. Water helps the kidneys remove waste from your blood in the form of urine. Water also helps keep your blood arteries open, allowing blood to flow freely to your kidneys and give vital nutrients to them."

However, "if you become dehydrated, this delivery method will perform less effectively. Mild dehydration can cause tiredness and hinder normal bodily processes. Severe dehydration can cause kidney damage, so drink plenty of fluids when working or exercising hard, especially in warm and humid weather", adds Dr Prakash.

Tips for Drinking Enough Water and Keeping Your Kidneys Healthy

Here are strategies to ensure you drink enough water and keep your kidneys healthy as listed by the urologist:

1. It is possible to drink too much water

Though this is uncommon in the general population, endurance athletes such as marathon runners may consume enormous volumes of water, diluting the salt level in their blood and resulting in a severe disease known as hyponatremia.

2. Water helps to avoid kidney stones and UTIs

Kidney stones and urinary tract infections (UTIs) are two prevalent medical diseases that can damage the kidneys and require proper hydration. Kidney stones form less easily when there is enough water to keep the crystals from bonding together. 

Water helps break down antibiotics used to treat urinary tract infections, increasing their effectiveness. Drinking plenty of water also stimulates the production of urine, which aids in the elimination of infection-causing bacteria.

3. When it comes to renal failure (also known as end-stage kidney disease), less is more

When the kidneys fail, people do not expel enough water, if any at all. Water consumption must be strictly limited for patients undergoing dialysis.

4. Your pee can indicate a great deal

For the ordinary person, "water wise" implies drinking enough water or other healthy fluids, such as unsweetened juice or low-fat milk, to satisfy thirst and keep urine light yellow or colourless. When your urine is dark yellow, it means you're dehydrated. You should be producing approximately 1.5 litres of pee.

Staying hydrated helps to dilute uric acid and increases its elimination via urine. Ample water intake ensures that the kidneys operate adequately, efficiently removing waste products such as uric acid from the body.