When people think about smoking, they usually think about lung cancer or heart disease.

But many don’t know that smoking is also a major enemy of the kidneys.

Your kidneys depend on a rich supply of blood to remove waste, balance fluids, and keep your body healthy.

Every cigarette causes blood vessels to narrow, reducing blood flow to these delicate organs. Over time, this lack of oxygen and nutrients damages the tiny filters inside the kidneys, causing them to lose function.

Smoking also:

• Raises blood pressure
• Makes diabetes more difficult to control
• Increases protein leakage in the urine—an early sign of kidney damage
• Speeds up the progression of chronic kidney disease
• Increases the risk of heart attack and stroke

If you already have kidney disease, smoking can make it progress much faster.

For people on dialysis, smoking increases the risk of heart disease, infections, and problems with dialysis access.

For kidney transplant recipients, smoking increases the risk of transplant failure, cancer, and serious cardiovascular complications.

The Good News

The Good News

The benefits begin as soon as you stop smoking.

Blood circulation improves, blood pressure becomes easier to control, and the progression of kidney disease may slow significantly.

It is never too late to quit.

Remember

Remember…

Smoking doesn’t just damage your lungs—it silently damages your kidneys too.

Every cigarette takes away a little more kidney function.

The best day to quit was yesterday. The next best day is today