Lowering High Creatinine Levels Naturally

Creatinine is considered to be a good indicator of kidney health and there is a creatinine normal range indicating proper functioning of the kidneys.

A low creatinine or high creatinine might be due to kidney disease, so check out ways of reducing high creatinine levels naturally.

Creatinine is a chemical waste produced in the blood when muscles are used or due to overeating of protein. The creatinine is transported to the kidneys and they filter it through urine.

Read: 15 Best Foods for Kidney Repair: Healthy Kidney Tips

The kidneys maintain creatinine levels at a normal range, but if the kidneys become impaired, it leads to an increase in creatinine levels in the blood, as the kidneys have not been able to perform clearance of creatinine. It could cause uremia, which is a life-threatening disease.

Check out normal creatinine levels!

Ways to Reduce Creatinine Levels

1. Reducing Vigorous Exercise to Reduce Creatinine Levels

Creatinine is the end product of muscle use, so vigorous physical exercise could cause sudden spike in creatinine levels. However, it normally goes back to the normal range after some days, as excess creatinine is excreted through the kidney.

• Normally, the increased creatinine level comes back to normal, as the excess creatinine is excreted through the kidneys. However, if the kidneys are not healthy, it gets accumulated and cannot be removed so easily.
• If you are trying to lower creatinine levels, stop exercising in the following cases:
• Feel tired
• Feel shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Irregular heart beats
• Stomach sickness
• Leg cramps
• Dizziness

Read: Lifestyle Changes for Keeping Kidneys in Healthy Shape

Read: Kidney Stone Diet: Best Food To Eat When You Have Kidney Stones

It is suggested that a creatinine patient must avoid strenuous exercise.

Mild exercise is beneficial to health and helps reduce creatinine levels!

2. Herbal/Home Remedies for Reducing Creatinine Levels
   

There are several herbal preparations in Ayurveda, which can have an excellent effect on reducing creatinine levels or maintain normal creatinine levels.

• How to reduce creatinine levels? Nettle leaf is a natural solution and the leaves, stems and roots of the herb have been used for centuries as medication for kidney problems.
• Nettle leaf is a powerful diuretic and depurative, which removes creatinine as well as uric acid.
• Barley has diuretic properties, so it will increase urine quantity, which eliminates extra amounts of creatinine.
• Chamomile tea also helps to reduce creatinine levels.
• Cinnamon is a tasty addition to desserts that reduces creatinine.
• Dandelion root, Siberian ginseng, Astragalus, Sage, Rhubarb and corn silk also act as natural diuretics and assist in lowering creatinine levels naturally.

Also See: Kidney Cleansing: Home Remedy to Detox Your Kidneys Naturally

3. Limit Sodium Intake

Control intake of sodium to reduce creatinine levels.

• Reduce Table Salt, Garlic salt, onion salt, celery salt, seasoning salt, Lite salt for lowering creatinine levels in blood.
• Lemon pepper, meat tenderizer.
• Sauces, such as Barbecue, steak, soy, teryaki and Oyster.
• Snacks like Potato and corn chips; crackers; tortilla chips; popcorn; pretzels.

4. Reduce Protein Intake

Recent diet trends for losing weight stress on substantial increase of protein intake. However, high protein intake can cause renal damage and increase creatinine levels.

• When you take too much protein, the unused protein breaks down as creatinine and when the kidneys are not able to excrete the extra creatinine, it accumulates in the blood.
• Too much protein stresses the kidney and increased amount of protein intake could accelerate renal disease, so reduce intake of protein to reduce creatinine levels.
• Reduce foods rich in protein, such as meat; fish; chicken; yogurt; milk; eggs and cheese in order to reduce creatinine levels in urine.

Check: Kidney Disease Diet: Foods To Avoid If You Have Kidney Problem

The recommended dietary allowance of protein is around 0.8 grams protein per kg of body weight, which means around 56 grams a day for the average man and 46 grams per day for the average woman. Increased protein intake elevates creatinine rates, GFR and urea excretion rates.

5. What to Eat/Drink to Lower High Creatinine Levels
   

There are studies showing the connection between reductions in creatinine levels and increased fiber intake.

• Fiber is found in foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, which can help reduce creatinine levels.
• Broccoli and cabbage are good choices rather than asparagus and potatoes.

Cut out on potassium and phosphorus in case of high creatinine levels. This means that you should opt for berries or apples instead of bananas and oranges.

Foods rich in chitosan, which is an ingredient that is seen in weight loss supplements, are effective in reducing creatinine levels.

6. Water Intake/Dehydration

Levels of creatinine can increase due to dehydration.

• Drink the right amount of water and fluids to prevent dehydration and reduce creatinine levels.

Tip: Make plain water more tasty by adding mint, lemon slice, cucumber or try fizzy water.

• Water needs vary from person to person, depending on the age, climate, the type of exercise you do, pregnancy states, illness etc.
• 8 glasses of water a day is a good rule, but not a hard and fast one, merely a general recommendation.

Related: Health Benefits of Drinking Lots of Water

The color of your urine can reveal a lot. When the urine is a dark yellow color, it shows that you are dehydrated. Also, you should make about 6 cups of urine a day.

Conclusion – Lower High Creatinine Levels

In a creatinine test, the normal creatinine levels are 0.7 to 1.2 mg/dL for males and 0.5 to 1.0 mg/dL in women. When to worry about creatinine levels? Levels above this are considered bad, because they indicate kidney failure or impairment of functions.

High creatinine levels could be a sign of kidney disease, where the kidneys are damaged to such an extent that they are not able to filter the creatinine in the blood properly. The symptoms could be a change in the urine color, the quality of the urine, loss of appetite or high blood pressure.

If you are using herbal remedies for reducing creatinine levels, it could interfere with medications. Hence, it is essential to discuss it with your doctor.