Treating Kidney Failure and Eating Healthy
IV. Waste Products Processed by the Kidneys
As your body uses up nutrients and energy to carry out the basic tasks of life, it produces waste products and fluid. Normally, these wastes are carried through your blood to your kidneys, where they are filtered out and combined with water to form urine.
What is urine?
Normal urine is clear, straw-colored and slightly acid. The main parts of urine are:
- Excess water from fluid that your body doesn't need
- Urea is one of the waste products your body makes when it uses the protein you eat
- Electrolytes and minerals
- Pigment (which gives urine its color).
Other things may also be in your urine, depending on what you eat and on your health. In fact, a doctor can often tell if you have a disease or illness by checking for abnormal waste products in your urine. Some abnormal waste products are protein, albumin, bacteria (germs), blood, sugar, or crystals.
When the Kidneys Don't Work
If your kidneys are not working right, the waste products in your blood are not filtered out, and these wastes can build to dangerous levels, leading to serious health problems. For example, too much phosphorus in your blood can weaken your bones. Too much potassium can cause heart attacks. Too much sodium can worsen high blood pressure. Too much water can lead to swelling and difficult breathing.
