Everyone knows the importance of healthy, strong bones. After all, your bones provide the framework for your body. If your bones are weak, you’re more prone to fractures, disability, poor mobility, and decreased quality of life.
Healthy, strong bones depend on specific minerals, but if you have kidney disease or another problem that affects kidney function, you might not get the micronutrients your bones need.
Why? Because your kidneys can’t filter blood and regulate hormones efficiently, leading to critical imbalances in these micronutrients.
In fact, the link between kidney disease and bone health is so strong that it has its own name: mineral and bone disorder in chronic kidney disease or CKD-MBD. A CKD-MBD evaluation is important for anyone dealing with chronic kidney disease.
With four locations in Houston and Cypress, Texas, Houston Kidney Specialists Center helps patients understand their bone health so they can make changes to their diets and incorporate supplements as needed.
In this post, our team reviews some nutritional supplements that can help you keep your bones healthy and strong even with kidney problems.
Vitamin D is essential for bone health and development. It helps your body absorb more calcium and phosphorus, minerals that play a major role in bone health.
Unfortunately, many Americans don’t get enough vitamin D in their diets. In fact, research shows more than 40% don’t get enough vitamin D from the foods they eat.
That’s partly because vitamin D doesn’t occur naturally in many foods. Natural sources include oily fish, beef liver, cheese, certain mushrooms, and egg yolks. Most of us get vitamin D from foods fortified with the vitamin, like vitamin D-fortified dairy products, orange juice, or cereals.
Our bodies can also produce vitamin D when our skin is exposed to the sun.
Calcium is another well-known bone-building nutrient. And, like vitamin D, research shows more than 40% of Americans don’t get enough calcium through dietary sources. Unlike vitamin D, our bodies can’t make calcium.
When we don’t consume enough calcium in our diet, our bodies extract calcium from our bones, leaving them weak and at increased risk of fractures.
Along with vitamin D, calcium helps the body replace old bone with new, healthy bone to maintain bone density and strength. Calcium supplements help deliver the calcium we need to keep our bones (and the rest of our body) healthy.
Magnesium is a lesser-known bone-building micronutrient, and like the other nutrients on this list, it can be affected by kidney function.
Normal magnesium levels are associated with greater bone density, which can help reduce the risk of fractures. In fact, low levels of magnesium have been linked with a markedly increased risk of osteoporosis among postmenopausal women.
Food sources of magnesium include nuts, seeds and legumes, green leafy vegetables, soy products, and whole grains — but reduced kidney function could mean that even when you consume these foods, you may not absorb all the magnesium your bones need.
Phosphorus is the second-most common mineral in your body; only calcium outranks it. Together, calcium and phosphorus help your bones stay healthy. In fact, about 85% of the phosphorus in your body is in your bones and teeth.
With CKD, your kidneys may not excrete enough phosphorus, allowing it to build up in your blood. Instead of ordering phosphorus supplements, our team may prescribe medications that bind with phosphorus, preventing a buildup that can have dire consequences for your health.
If you have kidney disease, nutritional supplements can help you avoid deficiencies and maintain good health. But you should never take supplements on your own. Even minor variations in kidney function mean supplements could do more harm than good.
Scheduling a nutritional evaluation is the first step in determining which supplements can benefit you. To learn how we can help you balance essential micronutrients affected by CKD, call 281-429-8780 or request an appointment online with Houston Kidney Specialists Center today.
