Fast food burgers, chips, sodas, bologna and crunchy and sugary cereals — just a few examples of our favorite junk food.
You know the stuffs no good and do your best to avoid it because no one wants the extra weight that comes from it… or the chronic disease risk. But nobody’s perfect so you fall victim to temptation…
Because, what’s the worst that can happen?
You could be doing irreparable damage to your kidneys.
According to a study published in the journal Experimental Physiology, eating a fast food diet causes as much damage to your kidneys as having full-fledged diabetes.
When you have diabetes, the excess sugar in your blood damages the filters your kidneys use to keep wastes and extra fluids out of your blood. These wastes and extra fluids then accumulate in your blood, which makes you sick.
It turns out that when you eat junk food the same thing happens. Junk food appears to trick your kidneys into acting like you have diabetes.
“In our study, type 1 and type 2 diabetes both induce changes in glucose transport in the kidney, but junk food or a diet high in fat causes changes that are very similar to those found in type 2 diabetes.” said Dr. Havovi Chichger, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science at Anglia Ruskin University in the UK and lead author of the study.
Now the role your kidneys play in your body is a vital one. In addition to being your body’s filtration system, they keep your electrolyte levels stable. They also make hormones that regulate your blood pressure, make red blood cells and keep your bones strong.
In other words, you should ditch the junk food now, before your kidneys are too far gone. And if you’ve already sworn off junk food for good, you have yet another reason to stay strong when temptation strikes.
Sources:
“The Food and Drug Administration will re-evaluate its definition of “healthy,” which could upend how a range of foods are marketed.” U.S. News & World Report. http://www.usnews.com. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
“Junk food causes similar high blood sugar levels as type 2 diabetes.” The Physiological Society. EurekaAlert!. http://www.eurekalert.org. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
“Prevent diabetes problems: Keep your kidneys healthy.” National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://www.niddk.nih.gov. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
