Have you heard of the term “oxidative stress?” While it is not a term used often by health practitioners to patients, it is highly associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Learn more about oxidative stress, including its causes, the potential consequences, and how to treat it.* 

What Causes Oxidative Stress in CKD Patients?

Free radicals are unstable molecules found in every person’s body that can potentially damage bodily cells. While they usually occur naturally or from environmental stressors, excessive damage from free radicals leads to oxidative stress. 

In CKD patients, long-term inflammation promotes oxidative stress. It may be caused or worsened by certain situations, such as:

• High levels of blood circulating biomarkers, particularly uremic toxins that may build up in CKD patients
• Poor antioxidant and nutrient defense, which would help to treat free-radical damage
• Atherosclerosis, which refers to the hardening and narrowing of the arteries from conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity

What are the Consequences of Oxidative Stress?

When CKD and other related conditions are not treated, oxidative stress may worsen and cause:

• Worsening atherosclerosis, which leads to heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral vascular disease
• Impaired production of red blood cells, which may lead to or worsen CKD anemia
• Amyloidosis, a condition that occurs when the protein, amyloid, builds up in your organs and interferes with their normal function
• Increased muscle insulin resistance and muscle wasting
• Immunodeficiency caused by damage to the white blood cells and other immune system-related cells

How Can You Fight Oxidative Stress?

While oxidative stress may be inevitable for CKD patients, there are ways to treat and delay it to prevent it from worsening. The two primary goals of antioxidative stress management are to slow the progression of CKD and to reduce its clinical consequences.

Antioxidants are the main treatment option and can be found in over-the-counter supplements. They can include: 

• N-acetylcysteine (NAC) – Works by bonding with amino acids to create glutathione, a powerful antioxidant
• Vitamin E – An antioxidant that protects the cell membranes from oxidative stress 
• Vitamin C – An antioxidant that can directly search for and discover free radicals

Before starting any of these supplements, speak with your doctor to make sure they are safe for your body. 

*Ling, X. C. (2018, December 12). Oxidative stress in chronic kidney disease. Renal Replacement Therapy. https://rrtjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s41100-018-0195-2#Abs1