Coffee and your kidneys — the best of friends

About 37 million Americans have chronic kidney disease, including Halle Berry, Selena Gomez and Nick Cannon. Acute kidney injury, in contrast, happens to 2% to 5% of folks during a hospital stay. It is common in ICUs, especially in older adults, and 1% of people develop it within 30 days after general surgery. AKI can lead to chronic kidney disease and kidney failure. Signs of AKI include poor urination; swollen legs and ankles; puffiness of the eyes; fatigue; shortness of breath; confusion; nausea; and chest pain or pressure.

Want to drastically reduce the chance that you develop AKI? It’s simple according to a new study in Kidney International Reports. Researchers looked at data on 14,000 folks over 24 years and found that drinking any amount of coffee a day reduced the risk of AKI by 15%. Those who drank two to three cups saw their risk go down 22% to 23%.

This comes on the heels of the study in the Annals of Internal Medicine that found that drinking unsweetened coffee (decaf, too) lowered your risk of death over the study’s seven-year window. The smart move: Drink paper-filtered coffee. Unfiltered coffee contains compounds that can raise lousy LDL cholesterol. Avoid added sugar, flavored syrups and milk/cream.

P.S. Headlines about that AIM study said sweetened coffee also lowered the risk of death. But we know added sugars add up, and when they do, they bring an onslaught of health problems. So stick with black, unsweetened and paper-filtered, please!

Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. His next book is “The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow.” Do you have a topic Dr. Mike should cover in a future column? If so, please email questions@GreatAgeReboot.com.