Is Watermelon Good for People with Kidney Disease

Watermelon is rich in mineral salts and vitamins and it is good to healthy people. However, for the people with Kidney Disease, can they eat watermelon?

Once kidneys are damaged, the potassium will not be excreted normally as before thus causing high potassium level in blood. If the potassium level is too high in blood, it will cause heart to beat irregularly and nerve and muscle injuries and even death.

As watermelon is rich in potassium, the patients with Kidney Disease should limit the consumption of watermelon.

Besides, keeping a low-sodium diet, the patients with Kidney Disease should also keep the following dietary principles:

1. Low-salt

Generally speaking, the patients with Kidney Disease should keep a low-salt diet and keeps salt intake within 3 grams per day.

If the salt intake is too high, it will lead to retention of sodium and fluid. It will cause increased blood volume thus causing high blood pressure.

2. Low-phosphorus

As kidneys are damaged, they can not excrete phosphorus normally as before thus causing hyperphosphatemia. If the phosphorus level is too high, it will stimulate parathyroid glands to secrete parathyroid. Finally, it will cause blood calcium level to decline and renal osteopathy.

Therefore, the patients with Kidney Disease should limit the intake of foods rich in phosphorus such as seafood, animal offals, egg yoke etc.

3. High-vitamin

Vitamins take part in the energy metabolism of energy in body. If the body can not get sufficient vitamin, it will cause energy metabolism disorder. As many coagulation factors and anticoagulant factors depend on vitamin K. Therefore, if there are not sufficient vitamins in body, it will affect the coagulation and anticoagulant processes.

Meanwhile, the patients with Kidney Disease should quit smoking and drinking because their toxity can speed up the sclerosis of renal arteries and glomeruli thus causing renal function to decline at a fast speed.


Besides the above dietary suggestions, if you want to know more about it, it is free for you to consult us on line.