If you don’t quench your thirst with soft drinks, but rather with water, unsweetened tea or coffee, you are also doing something good for your kidneys.

Lemonades, spritzers and the like encourage you to consume a lot of fructose in a short period of time. This can put strain on the kidneys over time, as the German Society for Nephrology (DGfN) warns.

Fructose puts a strain on the kidneys

First, some sugar theory: Unlike glucose, fructose is also metabolized in the kidneys, among other things. The organ groans for several reasons if we consume a lot of it over a long period of time:

• When fructose is broken down, the body produces more uric acid. If this level is permanently elevated, uric acid crystals can deposit in the kidney tissue. This can lead to kidney damage, kidney stones and inflammation.
• High fructose consumption promotes the formation of fat and inflammation in the body, which can damage the small blood vessels in the kidneys.
• There are also indirect effects: a lot of fructose promotes insulin resistance, High blood pressure and fatty liver – all diseases that further worsen kidney function.

Fructose from fruit is not the problem

If you like to snack on apple slices or blueberries, you don’t have to resist it. “It’s not fructose that’s problematic fresh fruit, but above all the added fructose in industrially produced foods,” says nephrologist Sylvia Stracke, press spokeswoman for the DGfN.

For example, fructose is in

• soft drinks,
• energy drinks,
• sports drinks,
• iced teas,
• flavored waters,
• fruit yogurt,
• muesli bars,
• breakfast cereals,
• desserts,
• ready-made sauces,
• dressings
• and find baked goods.

It’s best to look for names like “fructose-glucose syrup” or “corn syrup” on the ingredient list – and avoid such products if possible. The kidney experts also recommend aiming for a normal weight and consistently treating obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Eight tips on how to protect your kidneys

There are a few things we can do to protect our kidneys. In conversation with FOCUS online Werner Riegel, Chairman of the German Kidney Foundation, gives eight important tips:

1. Check blood pressure regularly
2. Check blood sugar levels
3. go for a check-up
4. stop smoking
5. Prevent kidney stones and urinary tract infections
6. absorb little salt and phosphate
7. move sufficiently
8. eat little meat