Physical Examination Shows High Blood Lipids, Beware Of Chronic Kidney Disease

It may be surprising that young people have high blood lipids, especially those with normal weight. However, high blood lipids are not only related to age and weight but also closely related to many factors.

Click to Cistanche for kidney disease

Revelation of the causes of high blood lipids

Genetic factors: If there is a history of high blood lipids in the family, the risk will naturally increase.

Improper diet: Fast food and high-sugar foods may be "invisible" blood lipid pushers.

Lack of exercise: busy work, less exercise, slow body metabolism, and naturally high blood lipids.

Lifestyle habits: smoking, drinking, staying up late, all of which can affect blood lipid levels.

Excessive stress: The fast pace of modern life, long-term work pressure, and emotional instability can lead to endocrine disorders and abnormal lipid metabolism.

Risk of complications of high blood lipids

In most cases, the symptoms of high blood lipids are not obvious. Many people do not know that their blood lipids are elevated or do not seek treatment because they think there are no symptoms, which leads to a series of serious diseases. Therefore, high blood lipids are often called the "king of chronic diseases."

In general, long-term high blood lipids may cause cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, endocrine diseases, and digestive system diseases.

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases

Long-term increase in blood lipids can lead to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques on the arterial wall, which gradually narrows or even blocks the blood vessel wall. Rupture of plaques can lead to platelet aggregation and thrombosis, which can also block blood flow, thereby inducing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction, etc.

Endocrine diseases

Increased blood lipids indicate that there is too much fat in the body, and abnormal lipoprotein synthesis and metabolism can lead to fat accumulation in the body, thereby inducing metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

Digestive system diseases

Long-term high blood lipids can also easily increase the burden on the liver and pancreas, leading to increased liver fat content, thereby increasing the risk of fatty liver, and severe increase in blood lipids can form emboli, which may block pancreatic capillaries, thereby inducing acute pancreatitis.

Hyperlipidemia and chronic kidney disease

The latest research has found that elevated blood lipids may also be related to chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a chronic progressive destruction of kidney structure and function due to various reasons, with a course of more than 3 months. The clinical manifestations of chronic kidney disease vary at different stages. Before stage 3 of chronic kidney disease, patients may have no symptoms, or only mild discomfort such as fatigue, backache, and increased nocturia; a few patients may have loss of appetite, metabolic acidosis, and mild anemia. After stage 3, the above symptoms become more obvious, and further aggravate after entering the renal failure stage. Sometimes hypertension, heart failure, severe hyperkalemia, acid-base imbalance, gastrointestinal symptoms, anemia, abnormal mineral bone metabolism, hyperparathyroidism, and central nervous system disorders may occur, and even life-threatening.

Chronic kidney disease is gradually becoming the world's most important public health problem due to its high incidence and mortality rate, affecting more than 10% of the world's population. However, because its early symptoms are not obvious, it is often ignored by people. In addition, chronic kidney disease shows a certain heterogeneity in etiology, clinical manifestations, and renal function impairment. Therefore, it is crucial to explore the mechanism of CKD through advanced technical means and then identify high-risk groups.

Personalized medicine is considered one of the most promising areas in modern medicine. This approach attempts to optimize treatment methods and patient care based on individual patient characteristics. The key lies in the identification of disease characteristics and their evolution, correct classification of patients, follow-up, and optimization of treatment methods. Therefore, personalized medicine requires innovative tools to measure, integrate, and model data, and metabolomics is one of the most suitable tools.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is one of the main technologies for metabolomics detection. Due to its low cost, high repeatability, high stability, non-destructive, and quantitative detection characteristics, it has gradually been used to explore the metabolic profile of various chronic diseases. In addition, the NMR platform can accurately quantify detailed metabolites of lipid metabolism, covering the lipid concentration and composition of more than a dozen lipoprotein subgroups, and can comprehensively examine individual lipoprotein subgroups and lipid characteristics associated with chronic kidney disease risk.

Recently, a research team from Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology published a research paper entitled "Nuclear Magnetic Resonance–Based Metabolomics and Risk of CKD" in the American Journal Of Kidney Diseases.

In the past, few studies have used nuclear magnetic resonance technology to investigate the direct association between metabolites and the risk of CKD. This study used the UK Biobank database to explore the association between plasma metabolites, especially lipid metabolites, and the risk of CKD, and further explored whether the screened differential metabolites can be used to predict the risk of CKD. The study found that a variety of plasma circulating metabolites are closely related to the risk of chronic kidney disease, mainly including very low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides in lipoprotein subclasses, fatty acids, amino acids, and inflammatory markers.

A total of 91,532 participants who were not diagnosed with CKD and did not use lipid-lowering drugs at baseline were included in this study, with an average age of 55.3 ± 8.1 years, of which 57.2% were women. During the median follow-up of 13.1 years, a total of 2,269 new cases of CKD were recorded. Compared with those without CKD, participants with CKD were generally older and had a higher proportion of hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The results of association analysis showed that after multi-factor adjustment and multiple test correction (pFDR＜0.05), 90 of the 142 metabolic indicators were closely related to the risk of CKD, mainly distributed in lipoprotein subclasses, apolipoproteins, amino acids, fatty acids, glucose and glycoprotein acetyl groups.

This study used LASSO regression for metabolite screening and finally identified 9 differential metabolites, including docosahexaenoic acid, the percentage of saturated fatty acids in total fatty acids, the percentage of linoleic acid in total fatty acids, histidine, isoleucine, valine, albumin, glycoprotein acetyl groups and cholesterol esters in small-particle high-density lipoproteins. Inclusion in the model based on clinical variables can significantly improve the predictive efficiency of CKD risk.

As mentioned in the review, very low-density lipoprotein particles, high-density lipoprotein particles, triglycerides, fatty acids, amino acids and inflammatory markers in lipoprotein subclasses in plasma are all associated with the risk of CKD. This study helps to gain a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis of CKD and may provide new directions for the prevention and treatment of CKD in the future.

How Does Cistanche Treat Kidney Disease?

Cistanche is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine used for centuries to treat various health conditions, including kidney disease. It is derived from the dried stems of Cistanche deserticola, a plant native to the deserts of China and Mongolia. The main active components of cistanche are phenylethanoid glycosides, echinacoside, and acteoside, which have been found to have beneficial effects on kidney health.

Kidney disease, also known as renal disease, refers to a condition in which the kidneys are not functioning properly. This can result in a buildup of waste products and toxins in the body, leading to various symptoms and complications. Cistanche may help treat kidney disease ase through several mechanisms.

Firstly, cistanche has been found to have diuretic properties, meaning it can increase urine production and help eliminate waste products from the body. This can help relieve the burden on the kidneys and prevent the buildup of toxins. By promoting diuresis, cistanche may also help Reduce high blood pressure, a common complication of kidney disease.

Moreover, cistanche has been shown to have antioxidant effects. Oxidative stress, caused by an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the body's antioxidant defenses, plays a key role in the progression of kidney disease. ies help neutralize free radicals and reduce Oxidative stress, thereby protecting the kidneys from damage. The phenylethanoid glycosides found in cistanche have been particularly effective in scavenging free radicals and inhibiting lipid peroxidation.

Additionally, cistanche has been found to have anti-inflammatory effects. Inflammation is another key factor in the development and progression of kidney disease. Cistanche's anti-inflammatory properties help reduce the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inhibit the activation of inflammation mandatory pathways, thus alleviating inflammation in the kidneys.

Furthermore, cistanche has been shown to have immunomodulatory effects. In kidney disease, the immune system can be dysregulated, leading to excessive inflammation and tissue damage. Cistanche helps regulate the immune response by modulating the production and activity of immune cells, such as T cells and macrophages. This immune regulation helps reduce inflammation and prevent further damage to the kidneys.

Moreover, cistanche has been found to improve renal function by promoting the regeneration of renal tubes with cells. Renal tubular epithelial cells play a crucial role in the filtration and reabsorption of waste products and electrolytes. In kidney disease, these cells can be damaged, leading to damaged renal function. Cistanche's ability to promote the regeneration of these cells helps restore proper renal function and improve overall kidney health.

In addition to these direct effects on the kidneys, cistanche has been found to have beneficial effects on other organs and systems in the body. This holistic approach to health is particularly important in kidney disease, as the condition often affects multiple organs and systems. che has been shown to have protective effects on the liver, heart, and blood vessels, which are commonly affected by kidney disease. By promoting the health of these organs, cistanche helps improve overall kidney function and prevent further complications.

In conclusion, cistanche is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine used for centuries to treat kidney disease. Its active components have diuretic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and regenerative effects, which help improve renal function and protect the kidneys from further damage. , cistanche has beneficial effects on other organs and systems, making it a holistic approach to treating kidney disease.