Understanding Creatinine: Your Kidney’s Health Indicator – By Dr Harold Gunatillake
Website: www.doctorharold.com
Transcript: Taking care of your kidneys is crucial for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Let’s spread awareness about the importance of kidney health and encourage others to prioritise their well-being.
“Welcome to our health channel, dear viewers. We are here to assist you with all your health concerns. Our past success has established us as a genuine provider of health information for the Sri Lankan community, both locally and globally.
Today, we’re exploring creatinine, a key marker for kidney health.
Knowing your cholesterol levels is crucial for heart health, and understanding your creatinine levels is essential for monitoring kidney function.
At this stage, without getting into confusion, let’s discuss the difference between creatine and creatinine.
Creatine is a compound that provides energy to muscles, while creatinine is a waste product eliminated from the body.
Creatinine levels in the blood can measure kidney function, while creatine levels can determine muscle health.
Shrine-like tubs filled with godly amounts of creatine is ubiquitous in gyms, supplement shops, and fitness enthusiasts’ homes.
Recently, creatine supplementation has become an issue as a performance- enhancing product by bodybuilders. Why do people take creatine as a supplement?
So, creatine helps maintain a continuous muscle energy supply during intense lifting or exercise. In addition to providing more energy and helping to
increase muscle growth, creatine helps speed up muscle recovery. When you exercise, you create micro-tears in your muscle fibres.
Do we consume creatine from dietary sources? What are the natural food sources?
About half of the creatine in our bodies is made from amino acids in the liver, kidney, and pancreas. The other half comes from foods we eat.
Wild game is considered to be the richest source of creatine. However, lean red meat and fish (particularly herring, salmon, and tuna) are also good sources.
People following diets very high in red meat or other protein sources, including dairy products, may have higher creatinine levels than people who eat fewer of those foods. If you eat lots of red meat, switch to more vegetable-based dishes.
The average creatine intake is approximately one g/day, but it can reach 25–30 g when consuming a protein-rich diet combined with additional supplementation.
Creatine can be obtained from the earlier diet and synthesised de novo from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. The entire pathway of creatine synthesis consists of two enzyme-catalyzed reactions.
How is creatine made naturally?
Creatine is a molecule that the body can naturally produce. It’s made primarily in the kidneys and completed in the liver by three amino acids: glycine, arginine and methionine. The amino acids are converted into creatine phosphate and phosphocreatine, which are then stored in the skeletal muscles and used for energy.
Now, let’s check what Creatinine is. “Creatinine is a waste product produced by your muscles from the breakdown of a compound called creatine. Our kidneys filter out this waste, and it’s expelled in our urine.”
Why is Creatinine Important? “Measuring the creatinine levels in your blood is important because it gives us a snapshot of how well your kidneys filter waste. High creatinine levels may indicate that your kidneys are not working as well as they should.”
The Significance of Creatinine Testing:
“Regular creatinine testing can help detect kidney disease early. It’s essential for those with risk
factors like diabetes, high blood pressure, or a
family history of kidney disease.”
What Affects Creatinine Levels? “Several factors can affect creatinine levels, including muscle mass, exercise, diet, and certain medications. That’s why having a healthcare professional interpret your results is important.”
Conclusion: “Staying informed about your creatinine levels is a proactive step towards maintaining good kidney health. If you have concerns about kidney function, talk to your doctor about getting a creatinine test.”
Call to Action: “If you found this information helpful, please like, share, and subscribe for more health-related content. Remember, taking care of your kidneys is taking care of your overall health!”
So, Goodbye for now until we meet again.
