Sedentary Lifestyles and Fast Food: Growing Threats to Kidney Health in Millennials and Gen Z

In today’s fast paced world, where convenience often takes priority over one’s well-being, a sedentary lifestyle and fast food habits have become a norm. The ease with which fast food has become available for the people without them having to worry about what to cook has led many to opt for the quick, and more than often unhealthy meals. With most people working a nine-to-five job, they have adopted a very inactive lifestyle or a sedentary lifestyle, characterised by least to no physical activities and long hours of sitting. Humorously referred to as couch potatoes, these individuals stay in one place for long periods without indulging in any kind of physical activity.

In the current work sphere, more and more people have become accustomed to the sedentary lifestyle. While the immediate impacts of these lifestyle choices are well known to people, ranging from rising obesity to increased cardiovascular diseases to diabetes. Their insidious impact on one’s kidney health often remains overlooked and escapes the spotlight when it comes to diseases. This oversight has had an alarming impact, with increased kidney problems amongst the people, especially the young generations belonging to what we call the Generation Z and the Millenials.

Recent studies have revealed a disturbing correlation between the eating habits and lifestyle choices of the youngsters and a significant rise in kidney health issues. Essential for filtering waste and regulating blood pressure, the kidneys of the younger generations are increasingly compromised by poor dietary choices made by the Gen Z- Millenial populations and their lack of physical activity. As these individuals continue to navigate their way through this fast-moving, digitally-driven world, their dietary preferences and lifestyle habits have undergone notable shifts. The prevalence of fast food consumption, excessive intake of processed foods high in sodium and sugar, and sedentary lifestyles characterized by prolonged periods of screen time and minimal physical activity are contributing to a concerning uptick in kidney-related ailments.

“Fast Food is full of bad fats”

Dr. Prakash Chandra Shetty Urologist, Dr. LH Hiranandani Hospital, Powai, Mumbai, elaborates on the harmful effects of fast food and the sedentary lifestyle. He states, “Fast Food is full of bad fats, high sugars, and sodium content that can result in several health problems like gaining weight, which can lead to diseases like heart problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.” He emphasised that a consistent consumption of fast food tends to lower an individual’s immune system and its power to fight diseases. This impact of fatty fast food also makes people feel lethargic and can eventually lead to a significant rise in the medical bills. Consuming fast food that contains high amounts of salt has been proven to be extremely bad for an individual’s renal health. Dr Shetty asserts that excessive salts of the junk food that most people eat puts an increased amount of pressure on their kidneys and forces the organ to work harder to filter out the excess, leading to increased blood flow and blood pressure in the human body. This persistent high blood pressure can cause damage to the blood vessels in the kidneys, reducing their ability to filter waste effectively. Studies suggest that over time, this increased renal activity can lead to certain kidney diseases, disturbing all the kidney functions.

Talking about the distinct impact that fast food can have on the kidney health of a child as compared to that of an adult, Dr shetty pressed that both the age groups are at equal risk. “Both the age groups can be harmed by the consumption of fast food, but it can be worse for children because their bodies are still under development,” he explained that children are more susceptible to kidney diseases resulting from fast food due to their immune system which is still getting developed. He added that the consumption of fast food has direct connection with increased weight and can to  lead to metabolic disorders amongst children, which can eventually set the stage for heart problems at an earlier age including risks of high blood pressure amongst other kidney disease. ‘For adults, the damage builds over time often compounding existing health problems,” he explained. The body of an adult takes fairly longer since the immune system amongst the adults have already built strong enough to fight potential health hazards and diseases.

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“Less physical activity: Cause of kidney diseases”

“Nowadays, young people are more into desk jobs which results in less physical activity which causes an increase in weight, BP issues, and getting diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at a young age. These conditions are a big risk for kidney disease,” Dr Shetty went on to enlist the repurcussions of the sedentary lifestyle that has engulfed majority of the population in today’s busy life. He added, “It’s better to indulge yourself in sitting in one posture for not more than 40- 50 minutes after that take a minute walk which will be best for your health as not moving around enough can also impact your heart, liver, and pancreas causing more health problems.”

Sedentary lifestyle has a significant impact on not just one’s Kidney Health but also other organs as characterised by Dr Shetty. He elaborated on how this lifestyle results in different problems amongst different individuals. Ranging from kidney stones to poor blood ciurculation, Dr Shetty enumerated all the potential risks that sedentary lifestyle may bring upon the individuals following it.

1. Increased Risk of Kidney Stones: The majority of people sit on their office chairs all day without any physical activity, not to mention that they consume unhealthy diets that apparently are focused on the foods that contribute to the formation of the kidney stones. As was mentioned earlier, this process leads to reduction of urine output meaning that the necessary crystals for the forming of the stones can easily be formed.
2. Hypertension and Diabetes: Exercises are also harmful in some sense and when one does not engage his or her body in physical activity, he or she is prone to hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Both are believed to be fundamental risks of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) ailments. The main problem of high blood pressure is that it is dangerous for the blood vessels that are located in kidneys, that same affects their ability to work properly. Diabetic nephropathy is easily one of the severe complications of diabetes in which patients experience renal issues or trouble.
3. Poor Blood Circulation: While this is not very frequent anymore, I think that inactivity leads to stagnation of blood in the body. Kidneys have a smooth muscle which requires the constant flow of blood to filter out waste products in the bloodstream. The circulation of blood is not very efficient at this and it may damage the kidneys if not well controlled because it is the process of filtering the blood.

Impact of the sedentary lifestyle on other organs of an individual-

1. Metabolic Health: Sitting down for long time puts a person at risk of what is called the metabolic syndrome which includes high blood pressure, high sugar levels in the blood, fats around the abdomen and high cholesterol levels in the blood. Metabolic syndrome has been shown to raise the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and type-2 diabetes – all conditions that impact the kidneys.
2. Mental Health: Some of the consequences enumerated include increase in stress, anxiety and in extreme cases depression resulting from lack of sufficient physical activity. Mental health affects overall physical health, organ function, including the kidneys and the following organs:High blood pressure is caused by the diseases, and there are other effects of the diseases that impact the kidneys, though they are not direct.

“Key points to mitigate the effects of a sedentary lifestyle”

“To mitigate the adverse effects of a sedentary lifestyle, I recommend certain steps that every person should follow, ” Dr Shetty enlisted key points for individuals to remember in order to be able to avoid or reduce prospects of experiencing the bad effects of a sedentary lifestyle, the following measures should be observed:

• Regular Exercise: 65- plus years adults should engage in moderate regular physical activity for at least 150 minutes per week in fragments of at least 10 minutes or 75 minutes per week of vigorous physical activity with muscle activities number of days per week minimum two.
• Healthy Diet: Achieve a healthy nutritional value by eating fruits/vegetables/grain products lean meats/fish products. Tips on eating healthy include; it is usually advised to take natural foods as much as possible, foods that undergo processing, foods with high sodium content and foods with high sugar content lead to high BP and diabetes respectively.
• Hydration: It is recommended to have more water since it prevents the formation of renal calculi.
• Routine Check-ups: Some diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes can be easily controlled and detected at early stages in some people, thus, a person is able to prevent their complications and impact on the kidneys.

“By applying the change in one’s life style as outlined above, one shall be in a position to improve the general health and as well reduce incidents of contraction of kidney diseases or similarly other ill health conditions associated with organs inherent from lazing around.”

“The role of stress in kidney diseases”

Progressing further into the subject, Dr Shetty highlighted the role that psychological factors like stress along with eating habits play in the relationship between fast food consumption and kidney issues. He explained, “Stress makes people indulge in activities that can help them relieve the tension in their minds.” It causes people to look for ways to alleviate their stress, thus, taking unhealthy meals such as high calorie fast foods that are usually rich in sodium content, unhealthy fats and sugars like chocolates and others. These kinds of foods are often considered as comfort foods that peple often tend to turn towards when they are experiencing high level pressure or any kind of stress and have been found to work efficiently on the human minds which makes people addicted to them. “However, each of these can lead to hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes, all of which are root causes of kidney disease. It is also bad for health, although in another way, that is, it reduces people’s motivation to exercise, thereby, contributing in kidney damage. Stress and unhealthy diet negatively feed into each other creating a vicious cycle that poses significant threats to the health of kidneys which makes it very important to attend to both mental health and nutrition,” he added.

“Prevention and treatment of kidney diseases”

Talking about the prevention and treatment of kidney diseases and strategies to reduce the risks of fast food and sedentary lifestyles, Dr Shetty emphasised that even though there are several medications available to treat kidney diseases, it is always preferrable for one to change one’s lifestyle to a healthier, more active one, in order to improve one’s quality of life. “Medications can be used to treat the kidney diseases or maintain the kidney function especially for those people who have predisposing factors for the kidney disease such as hypertension and Diabetes mellitus. But behavior modifications are just as, if not more, crucial in maintaining renal health. Exercises, controlling diet, having low intake of sodium and processed foods, water intake and keeping a healthy weight are the main strategies that should be taken to prevent the development of kidney disease or its advancement. Lifestyle changes also act on the underlying conditions as opposed to what medications do not fully address. Consequently, treatment via the implementation of medicine and alteration of diet consistently proves to be most effective in the case of kidneys,” he pressed that it is imperative for an individual to get in the habit of living a healthy life. He suggested that one of the best approaches is to ensure proper nutrition by preparing meals at home and using the right foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grain products so that people avoid a diet of fast foods. Moreover, he added that engaging in regular exercises, for example walking, cycling or attending a fitness session, can decrease the likelihood of kidney diseases, and enhance the general quality of life. Other deliberate practices like meditation and stress management may also help in halting the incessant cycle of unhealthy eating prompted by stress.

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