What Are Kidneys and What Do They Do?

Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist, located just below your rib cage on either side of your spine. They perform several vital functions that keep your body healthy:

• Filter waste and excess fluids from your blood, which are removed through urine
• Regulate blood pressure by balancing salt and fluid levels
• Help produce red blood cells by releasing a hormone called erythropoietin
• Maintain healthy bones by balancing calcium and phosphorus
• Control body’s pH levels by regulating acid-base balance

 
Each day, your kidneys filter around 50 gallons of blood to produce about 1.5 quarts of urine. Despite their small size, kidneys are powerhouses essential to life.