If you’re living with diabetes, your kidneys deserve extra attention. High blood glucose (blood sugar) can cause your kidneys to work harder than they should, leading to damage over time that can lead to chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Simple, healthy steps go a long way in helping prevent or slow the damage to your kidneys. We’re here to give you the tools you need to take steps to protect your kidney health.
Early kidney damage usually doesn’t cause symptoms you notice, and it may not show up on blood tests. That’s why regular kidney tests are one of the most important things you can do.
There are two quick tests you can get at your regular healthcare visit to tell you (and your healthcare team) how your kidneys are doing:
Together, these two tests give a general picture of your current kidney health. They should be done every year for most people living with type 2 diabetes, as well as people living with type 1 diabetes for five years or longer.
If your test shows changes to your kidney health, your doctor may recommend checking more often.
Your kidneys are two small but vital organs that filter waste from your blood and balance fluids and minerals in your body. Every day, all the blood in your body passes through them around 40 times to be cleaned, and they do other important jobs too.
Your kidneys:
When they’re working well, you don’t notice your kidneys at all, and keeping them healthy helps your body run smoothly.
Diabetes is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Here’s how it can damage your kidneys over time:
Early on, high blood glucose and high blood pressure (hypertension) make your kidneys work harder to filter your blood.
That extra strain slowly damages the tiny filters in your kidneys (called nephrons) that filter your blood.
A small amount of protein (called albumin) starts leaking from your kidneys into your urine. This is called albuminuria and is one of the first signs to show up on screening tests.
As more filters are affected, your kidneys have a harder time cleaning your blood—a process that can continue to get worse over time.
There’s a lot you can do to help keep your kidneys healthy and prevent or delay damage, and the most effective strategies are often the same ones you rely on to manage diabetes.
Your healthcare team or a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) can help you choose an eating plan that meets your needs and helps you reach your health goals.
The Diabetes Plate can help you build balanced meals and can be used with the eating plans that support diabetes and kidney health, including:
Need more inspiration? Find kidney-friendly recipes, a personalized grocery list, tools for kidney-friendly meal planning, and more at Diabetes Food Hub®.
Download and print our guide to kidney care and CKD.
With your support, the American Diabetes Association® can continue our lifesaving work to make breakthroughs in research and provide people with the resources they need to fight diabetes.
