Passing these stones will be extremely painful, and sadly, individuals who have skilled kidney stones usually tend to get them once more (1).
Nevertheless, there are some things you are able to do to cut back this threat.
This text explains what kidney stones are and descriptions 8 dietary methods to combat them.
What are kidney stones?
Also referred to as renal stones or nephrolithiasis, kidney stones are composed of exhausting, strong waste supplies that construct up within the kidneys and type crystals.
4 essential sorts exist, however about 80% of all stones are calcium oxalate stones. Much less widespread kinds embrace struvite, uric acid, and cysteine (2, 3).
Whereas smaller stones are normally not an issue, bigger stones could trigger a blockage in a part of your urinary system as they depart your physique.
This could result in extreme ache, vomiting, and bleeding.
Kidney stones are a typical well being drawback. In actual fact, about 12% of males and 5% of girls in the USA will develop a kidney stone throughout their lifetime (3).
What’s extra, if you happen to get a kidney stone as soon as, research counsel you might be as much as 50% extra prone to type one other stone inside 5 to 10 years (4, 5, 6).
Under are 8 pure methods you may scale back the danger of forming one other kidney stone.
1. Keep hydrated
On the subject of kidney stone prevention, ingesting loads of fluids is usually really helpful.
Fluids dilute and improve the quantity of the stone-forming substances in urine, which makes them much less prone to crystallize (3).
Nevertheless, not all fluids exert this impact equally. For instance, a excessive consumption of water is linked to a decrease threat of kidney stone formation (7, 8).
Drinks like espresso, tea, beer, wine, and orange juice have additionally been related to a decrease threat (9, 10, 11).
Alternatively, consuming lots of soda could contribute to kidney stone formation. That is true for each sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened sodas (9).
Sugar-sweetened comfortable drinks include fructose, which is understood to extend the excretion of calcium, oxalate, and uric acid. These are necessary elements for kidney stone threat (12, 13).
Some research have additionally linked a excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened colas to an elevated threat of kidney stones, as a result of their phosphoric acid contents (14, 15).
2. Improve your citric acid consumption
Citric acid is an natural acid discovered in lots of fruit and veggies, notably citrus fruits. Lemons and limes are particularly wealthy on this plant compound (16).
Citric acid could assist stop calcium oxalate kidney stones in two methods (17):
A straightforward strategy to devour extra citric acid is to eat extra citrus fruits, comparable to grapefruit, oranges, lemons, or limes.
It’s also possible to strive including some lime or lemon juice to your water.
3. Restrict meals excessive in oxalates
Oxalate (oxalic acid) is an antinutrient discovered in lots of plant meals, together with leafy greens, fruits, greens, and cocoa (20).
Additionally, your physique produces appreciable quantities of it.
A excessive oxalate consumption could improve oxalate excretion in urine, which will be problematic for individuals who are likely to type calcium oxalate crystals (21).
Oxalate can bind calcium and different minerals, forming crystals that may result in stone formation (21).
Nevertheless, meals excessive in oxalate additionally are typically very wholesome, so a strict low-oxalate weight loss program is not really helpful for all stone-forming people.
A low-oxalate weight loss program is just advised for individuals who have hyperoxaluria, a situation characterised by excessive ranges of oxalate within the urine (17).
Earlier than altering your weight loss program, seek the advice of your healthcare supplier or dietitian to search out out whether or not you might profit from limiting your consumption of oxalate-rich meals.
4. Don’t take excessive doses of vitamin C – “magnesium kidney stones”
Research point out that vitamin C (ascorbic acid) dietary supplements are related to a better threat of getting kidney stones (22, 23, 24).
A excessive consumption of supplemental vitamin C could improve the excretion of oxalate within the urine, as some vitamin C will be transformed into oxalate inside the physique (25, 26).
One Swedish research amongst middle-aged and older males estimated that those that complement with vitamin C could also be twice as prone to develop kidney stones as those that don’t complement with this vitamin (23).
Nevertheless, notice that vitamin C from meals sources, comparable to lemons, is just not related to an elevated stone threat (27).
5. Get sufficient calcium
It’s a typical misunderstanding that you might want to lower your calcium consumption to cut back your threat of forming calcium-containing stones.
Nevertheless, this isn’t the case. In actual fact, a weight loss program excessive in calcium has been related to a decreased threat of forming kidney stones (28, 29, 30, 31).
One research positioned males who had beforehand shaped calcium-containing kidney stones on a weight loss program containing 1,200 mg of calcium per day. The weight loss program was additionally low in animal protein and salt (29).
The boys had a few 50% decrease threat of creating one other kidney stone inside 5 years than the management group, which adopted a low-calcium weight loss program of 400 mg per day.
Dietary calcium tends to bind with oxalate within the weight loss program, which prevents it from being absorbed. The kidneys then don’t need to move it by the urinary system.
Dairy merchandise like milk, cheese, and yogurt are good dietary sources of calcium.
For many adults, the really helpful each day allowance (RDA) for calcium is 1,000 mg per day. Nevertheless, the RDA is 1,200 mg per day for ladies over the age of fifty and everybody over the age of 70.
6. In the reduction of on salt
A weight loss program excessive in salt is linked to an elevated threat of kidney stones in some individuals (30, 32).
A excessive consumption of sodium, a part of desk salt, could improve calcium excretion by urine, which is among the essential threat elements for kidney stones (33).
That mentioned, some research in youthful adults have failed to search out an affiliation (31, 34, 35).
Most dietary tips advocate that folks restrict sodium consumption to 2,300 mg per day. Nevertheless, most individuals devour much more than that quantity (36, 37).
Among the finest methods to lower your sodium consumption is to chop again on packaged, processed meals (38).