Protein in Urine: what is it indicating?

You have two kidneys, the job of which is to act like giant filters. Each second, they clean your blood, removing waste and eliminating it as urine.

If your kidneys are damaged, they can leak.

One of the early signs is protein in your urine.

Normally, your kidneys hold back protein because the particles are too large to pass through.

When protein shows up in your urine, known as proteinuria, it means your kidney cannot filter it. Think of it like a net that developed holes.

Why does this matter?

Leaking protein is the first sign of kidney disease. It can appear long before your blood tests show a problem.

If you wish to test, you would test for something known as GFR or glomerular filtration rate. A GFR test tells you how well your kidneys are working.

The lower your GFR, the worse your kidney function. Just to be clear, your GFR falls naturally with age, so you need to evaluate the results adjusted to your age.

But GFR drops slowly. By the time it’s low, much of the damage may already be done.

That’s why protein in your urine is an early alarm.

Another indicator of your kidney not working well is creatinine. Creatinine is produced as a waste product from your muscles.

When your kidneys are healthy, they clear creatinine efficiently. But if your kidneys are struggling, creatinine builds up in your blood.

So collectively, a rising creatinine in your blood, protein in your blood and a falling GFR can show how well your kidneys are working.

So what can you do?

Food and lifestyle changes can reduce protein loss. For example, regulating how much sodium you are consuming or regulating how much protein you are consuming excess of which exert pressure on your kidneys.

The earlier you start the better. So if your urine shows protein, don’t ignore it. Your kidneys are asking for help.

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