Love Your Heart: Tips to Keep Your Heart Healthy on Dialysis

Heart disease and stroke are the number one and three, respectively, leading cause of death in the United States. Both conditions are prevalent in people with kidney disease or failure due to the conditions and risk factors that force your heart to work harder. Following these tips can help you lower your risk of getting heart disease or help keep heart disease from progressing. 

1. Control Blood Sugars if You Have Diabetes

Monitor your blood sugar levels regularly as per your doctor’s recommendation. Sticking to your prescribed treatment plan, which includes taking medications, following a healthy diet, and engaging in physical activity, is essential. 

2. Control High Blood Pressure

Take all your blood pressure medications as prescribed. Keeping your blood pressure readings in a notebook or treatment log is also essential. Maintain sodium (no more than 2000 mg/day) and fluid restriction (32-48 oz/day). 

3. Reduce High Cholesterol Levels

Have the following labs checked annually: total cholesterol, HDL “good” cholesterol, LDL “bad” cholesterol, and triglycerides. If your levels are not in a healthy range, follow a low-fat diet, increase exercise, and ask about cholesterol-lowering medication if necessary. 

4. Follow a Heart-Healthy Diet

Eat foods low in saturated fats, sodium, and phosphorus (less than 200 mg per serving). Include more foods high in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, walnuts, flaxseeds, soybeans, and canola oil. 

5. Increase Physical Activity if Your Physician Allows

Start slowly and aim to increase exercise to at least 30 minutes most days a week. 

6. Treat Anemia

This helps keep the muscles on the left side of the heart from getting thick. If this muscle becomes thick, it is harder for the heart to pump blood. 

7. Keep Calcium and Phosphorus Levels in Balance

Follow a low-phosphorus diet, take your phosphate binders with meals, and take your bone medications as prescribed. 

8. Stop Smoking

Your physician or social worker can refer you to a program to help you quit. 

9. Reduce Stress Level

Stressful feelings like worry, sadness, and anger can contribute to heart disease. Ask for help. Your social worker can teach you to cope with these feelings better. 

10. Maintain a Healthy Weight

Maintaining the Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered healthy, but it’s essential to consult a doctor to determine the best weight for an individual’s overall health.