Exercise and Your Urinary System

Your urinary system mainly contains two kidneys, two ureters, the urinary bladder, and the urethra. Each kidney connects to the urinary bladder through a ureter, which is a tube-like structure. The bladder is a muscular hollow, and elastic organ, which can store urine temporarily. It connects to the outside via the urethra, which is a tube. A renal artery supplies the blood, oxygen, and the nutrients to each kidney. A renal vein carries blood from each kidney.

The urinary system basically helps eliminate waste products from your body and regulate the volume, electrolyte concentration, and the acidity (pH value) of the body fluids (in the blood, cells, and the tissues) within the normal range. It controls long-term acid-base balance, because changes in the metabolism cause alterations of the acidity (pH value) in the body. Therefore, it keeps up the internal environment stable. During the metabolism, the cells produce various waste and toxic substances. Your urinary system removes most of them (except for carbon dioxide and some others) via urine. It mainly helps regulate the volume and osmolarity (a measure of electrolyte concentration) of your body fluids by handling water and sodium balance within the body.

The renal artery supplies the blood to the kidney. The watery portion of the blood (except blood cells) is known as the plasma. Tissues of the kidney receive oxygen and other nutrients via the blood. The kidneys usually absorb water and other substances from the plasma except plasma proteins, which are large molecules. Through various complex mechanisms, they help the blood to reabsorb substances, which are important to the body. However, some amount of water and electrolytes, excess substances as well as most of the waste products are filtered as the urine. Purified blood flows to the main circulation via the renal vein. The urine moves from the kidney to the urinary bladder through the ureter for excretion from the body. The urinary bladder acts as the storage until the urine is eliminated through the urethra.

The basic functions of the urinary system help lower the risk of getting some diseases. A healthy urinary system helps control high blood pressure (hypertension) by regulating the fluid volume and electrolyte concentration within the body in hypertensive people. Persistent uncontrolled hypertension is a major risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD), stroke, and kidney disease (renal failure). High blood pressure also progressively increases all-cause mortality. Therefore, morbidity and mortality linked with the hypertension can be significantly decreased by treating hypertensive people. Usually, people with a persistent resting blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or above should be treated for hypertension. Adequate exercise, physical activities, and a healthy diet also help manage high blood pressure.

Diuretics, which are a group of medications, increase the excretion of water and sodium through the kidneys. They block the re-absorption of sodium by the kidneys. Therefore, they increase the volume of urine and lower the volume of body fluids, including the blood. A reduction of the blood volume helps lower the resistance within the blood vessels. These mechanisms have some effects of reducing the blood pressure.

A healthy urinary system is a significant factor in athletic and sport performance. Exercise and athletics increase the metabolism hence the production of waste materials in the body. Therefore, the urinary system is an important organ system to eliminate the excess waste products. Athletes, who play and train sports, usually regulate and keep up their body temperature basically by sweating. Increased sweating lowers the volume of the body fluids. Consequently, the urinary system reabsorbs more water and sodium from the urine within the kidneys. It helps to maintain the body fluid level. However, this process lowers the urine volume and makes the urine darker and concentrated. Exercise science professionals motivate athletes to observe the colour of their urine properly in order to monitor hydration of the body. If the urine is concentrated and darker, it indicates that the athlete is dehydrated. Therefore, he or she should consume more fluids.

Some athletes in sports under specific weight classes for competition illegally use certain diuretics to raise the volume of the urine hence decrease their body weights. Then, they can participate in a lower weight class for competition. Some athletes use diuretics to increase the urine volume and decrease the concentration of an illegal drug in the urine. It may help the athlete to lower the amount of the illegal drug or its metabolites in the urine preventing the recognition of unlawful drug use.



Related Links:

Exercise and Your Muscles
Exercise and Your Skeletal System
Exercise and Your Cardiovascular System
Exercise and Your Respiratory System
Exercise and Your Digestive System
Exercise and Your Nervous System