Kidney Health NZ

Kidney Health NZ promoting Water as the preferred drink? The Kidney Health NZ National Drink Water Week is aimed at raising awareness of the importance drinking water as an alternative to other fluids. There is a lot of information these days about what we should be eating to stay healthy, but one very important item that isn’t talked about as much as it should be, and that we need more than food each day is water.

The increased promotion of a variety of “special” water preparations, the sponsorship of events by large corporations selling drinks purporting to increase the consumers’ energy levels and give them that edge they are looking for is a concern for the NZKF and many other health organizations as we try to promote the healthy choice message.

The Kidney Health NZ does not promote the drinking of fluids such as fruit juices, flavoured waters and carbonated sugar drinks; we have a commitment to promote a healthy lifestyle for all New Zealanders.

The significant increase in obesity among children and adults together with the associated rise in diabetes mellitus in New Zealand has a huge impact on the already struggling health service. Diabetes mellitus is the biggest cause of kidney disease in New Zealand with 47% of people on dialysis as a result of Diabetes.

It is important to be aware that there are definite and proven health benefits from simply drinking more water and from changing fluid intakes from coffee, tea, alcohol, and hypertonic soft drinks to mineral or tap water. (J. Chan, S.F Knutsen, et al, Water, other fluids and fatal coronary heart disease. The Adventist Health Study, Am.J. Epidemiol. 155 (2002) 827-833.

It is important to note that even water intake requires moderation; recent media reports have focused on people who have drunk too much water, which can overwhelm the kidneys and lead to swelling of the brain.
It has been recommended we should drink at least eight glasses of water a day, although there is no research to support this, perhaps a better recommendation is to use the colour of your urine as a guide to how much water you should be drinking. Your urine should be a very light coloured yellow. If it is a deep yellow then it is likely you are not drinking enough water.

The Kidney Health NZ is aware that water is not a cure all for every disease but it has an impact. Water has the power to make one feel healthy revived and balanced. Today we have all these concerns about everything we should and shouldn’t be eating, but here in New Zealand we have a free, easily accessible supply of a substance that can only help keep us healthy.

www.nzkidneyfoundation.co.nz

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