“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt;”>Stress, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, family history and even a lack of nutrients when you were developed in the womb play a factor in manifestation of chronic kidney disease.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Audience members at the Emerson Theatre got the word from a physician who has dedicated his life to educating and empowering others about kidney disease and how to prevent it.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Will Ross, M.D. M.P.H., associate dean of diversity and assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine, was the keynote speaker at the 36th Annual Dr. George Washington Carver Celebration at Harris-Stowe State University.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Today’s food insecurity, the lack of access to nutritious and affordable food, can play out in future generations, Ross explained.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“In pregnant females, there is this lack of nutrients supplied and those nutrients are trace elements, like iron, zinc, selenium, riboflavin; vitamins, like vitamin A, C and D; there is this lack of nutrient deficiency that characterizes people who are in food-insecure environments,” Ross said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>As a consequence, Ross said the nutrients are pulled from the pregnant women’s body.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“These nutrients that would normally go into the kidney and normally go into the heart and would normally go into the pancreas are shut off, and they go to the brain instead,” he said. In turn, Ross says, the kidney holds on to salt, the pancreas stops producing insulin and makes existing insulin resistant because of lack of macronutrients to allow the infant to develop.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“If it’s adapted in utero, what happens when that baby grows up and is placed in an environment in the U.S. where that environment exposes that growing child to a super abundant doses of sodium and super abundant access to dense hypercaloric carbohydrates? You’ve seen it before, too – it’s called type 2 diabetes,” Ross said. “And you know the main drivers of kidney disease – you guys remember this – are high blood pressure, diabetes and being overweight.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Ross said it is surprising how young some of the patients are who are being treated for what was used to be adult onset, type 2 diabetes.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I look at people walking in my office and sometimes I am stunned, because they are 16 years old and they are 17 years old, they are 20 years old and they have diabetes, high blood pressure and they have kidney failure,” Ross said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I say, my goodness – this is an incredible paradigm. Where is the outrage, where is the scientific focus? Where is the funding to address this epidemic that is absolutely devastating our community? We don’t quite see the outrage because we don’t understand it.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Ross explained that kidney disease is a slowly-growing process of the kidneys deteriorating and the waste products building up. All undetected.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“There are people walking around with a time bomb in their kidneys, ready to explode,” he said, particularly with the ravages of racism, stress and health issues.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Despite being at higher risk for certain health conditions,
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Ross said there are simple things everyone can do to prevent kidney disease.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Lose two pounds a month,” Ross said. “Cut your sodium intake to one teaspoon of sodium a day. That’s two grams and most Americans consume eight or nine grams,” Ross added.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Do that and just walk – please – just like, 30 minutes, five times a week,” Ross said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>A booth with kidney health information from the American Diabetes Association and National Kidney Foundation was also available for those in attendance.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The Jan. 28 event was sponsored by the Zeta Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority.
