(NaturalHealth365)  We’ve all seen advertisements of people guzzling ice-cold soft drinks on a hot summer day.  But, while drinking a cold soda on a hot day may sound appealing to some people, a recent study published in the American Journal of Physiology warns that it may damage your kidneys.

In fact, the study warns that drinking soda in the heat can have a particularly adverse effect on your kidney function.

What happens to your body when you exercise in the heat?

When it’s hot, your body reacts by sweating more to cool off.  If you exercise in hot weather, your body reduces blood flow to your kidneys so it can conserve water and regulate blood pressure.  When blood flow to your kidneys is sharply reduced, your kidneys get less oxygen, and consequently, acute kidney injury can occur.  Research shows exertion in high temperatures causes an increase in biomarkers of kidney injury.

So exercising on a hot summer day already puts your kidneys at risk of dehydration and harm, even before adding soft drinks into the mix.  But if you do reach for that cold soda, the risk to your kidneys is even more profound.

Why drinking soda is damaging to your kidneys

According to the study, drinking soda after laboring or exercising in hot weather increases dehydration, putting your kidneys in danger.

In the study, volunteers performed manual labor in 95-degree Fahrenheit weather.  Biomarkers for kidney function were measured before and after exercise.  Some participants drank water immediately after exertion, and some drank soda.  Researchers saw a jump in dehydration and markers for kidney injury in the participants who drank soda, including higher levels of uric acid and vasopressin.

Researchers concluded that drinking soda during and immediately after exercise in heat does not rehydrate the body.  Instead, soda induces acute kidney injury. In addition, because soda contains high amounts of fructose and often caffeine, it does much more harm than good.  These findings are startling.

Many people consume much higher amounts of fructose than what is safe and more protein than necessary, which can also imperil kidney function.  Additionally, processed foods, in general, are detrimental to our health and children’s health.

How to protect your kidneys

So how can you keep your kidneys safe and healthy in the summer heat and beyond?  A few simple dietary habits can ensure you’re taking care of your kidneys as well as possible.  Drinking plenty of clean, pure water is essential.  When you choose water over high-fructose drinks, you’ll help keep your kidneys hydrated and functioning smoothly.

Eating a diet rich in organic fresh fruits and vegetables has many health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, which is good news for your kidneys.  Several super foods are especially good for your kidneys, including cherries, red bell peppers, watermelon, and kale.

To support optimal kidney function, you might also want to add these great foods into your diet: ginger, turmeric, nettle, and yarrow.

Your kidneys are vital for good health.  They work hard daily to filter your blood and flush out impurities through urination.  Opting for a tall glass of cold filtered water over highly processed sugar-filled soft drinks will help prevent kidney injury and keep these precious organs working well.

Sources for this article include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org
Journals.physiology.org