How Does Diet Help Nephrotic Syndrome Patients

How does diet help nephrotic syndrome patients? This question is concerned by most Nephrotic Syndrome patients. As for patients with Nephrotic Syndrome, proper diet is very helpful for controlling the disease.

Diet for nephrotic syndrome mainly includes the following:

1. Low salt intake

Diseased kidneys have declined function to discharge fluid and sodium from the body. Too much salt intake will worsen fluid-sodium retention and increase blood volume, which will aggravate swelling and high blood pressure. What’s worse, fluid-sodium retention may also induce heart failure and hypertensive encephalopathy. Therefore, generally speaking, nephrotic syndrome patients should eat less salt. In case of severe swelling, high blood pressure and no urine output, they should avoid salt.

2. Protein intake

In Nephrotic Syndrome, lots of plasma protein will leak into urine. Protein leakage will exacerbate swelling and make your immunity decrease. Therefore, in the early stage of kidney disease, high quality protein intake (1-1.5g/kg.d) should be followed such as eggs, milk, lean meat, fresh fish, etc. This can alleviate some complications caused by hypoproteinemia. However, it does not mean it is better for you to eat more and more protein. Because too much protein intake will produce more wastes of nitrogen metabolism, which will burden the kidneys. Besides, too much protein intake will speed up the sclerosis of glomerular. Thus, how much protein you can eat depends on your illness condition. Always check with your doctor or online doctor.

3. Fat intake

Nephrotic syndrome patients often suffer from hyperlipidaemia which can result in harden arteries and damaged glomerular. Therefore, patients need to limit the intake of animal organs. Recently researches found that polyunsaturated fatty acids supplement can reduce blood cholesterol and triacylglycerol, reduce proteinuria an improve kidney function.

4. Microelement supplements

Due to increased glomerular basement membrane permeability, some microelements such as calcium, zinc and magnesium can also leak into urine. Nephrotic Syndrome patients can eat vegetables, fruits and sea foods to supplement microelements.

Of course, only diet is not enough to control Nephrotic Syndrome well. An effective treatment for Nephrotic Syndrome is Immunotherapy. Immunotherapy can regulate your immune system, remove immune complexes from your body, block inflammatory reaction, repair injured kidney tissues and rebuild kidney function. Symptoms such as proteinuria, swelling and hyperlipidaemia will all be relieved from the root. Immunotherapy is more popular and effective treatment in Nephrotic Syndrome.