Kidney stones and calcium intake

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Kidney Stones and Calcium Intake by Vicki Koenig, MS, RD, CDN It's been said that passing a kidney stone is more painful than giving birth. Are you susceptible to kidney stones? It used to be that if you developed kidney stones you were put on a dietary calcium restriction. This is no longer true. We now know that a diet high in calcium, especially dairy calcium actually helps prevent the most common kidney stones from forming. Types of Kidney Stones85% of kidney stones are some form of calcium compound, commonly calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate. A less common stone is cause by an infection in the kidneys. This stone is called a struvite or

infection stone. Less common still are uric acid stones or gout. Cystine stones are a rare form. If crystals precipitate out of urine, they can build up on the inner wall of the kidney. If they remain small, they pass out of the body and you don't even notice them. It's the big ones that hurt. How to Prevent Kidney Stones if you're Prone to Getting ThemWhile scientists don't think diet causes kidney stones if you're not susceptible, diet can help prevent reoccurrences once you've had one. Those who have a family history of stones or have developed a stone before are prone to developing more. Here are some guidelines: Drink lots of water! You need to drink enough to produce at least 2 quarts of urine per day. Eat high calcium dairy products, like milk, yogurt and cheese, to help prevent oxalate or phosphate stones. It is believed increased calcium from food binds the oxalate in the intestine.

Then less calcium oxalate needs to be excreted by the kidney, resulting in less stones. Research shows that dairy calcium is especially good at preventing another calcium stone. If you get calcium oxalate stones, you may need to limit your food sources of oxalate. The foods with the highest oxalate content include: beets, chocolate, coffee, nuts, rhubarb, spinach, tea and wheat bran. Take calcium supplements carefully. There can be a slight increased risk of developing calcium-type kidney stones. The risk can be reduced by taking supplements with meals that contain the most oxalate, like lunch and dinner. Watch sodium. Sodium can cause more calcium to be excreted in the urine of stone-formers. High calcium in the urine increases stone-forming. Consider lowering protein. A very high protein diet can increase stone formation. Work with your doctor to make sure you know what kind of stone you've developed.

Kidney stone formers are at higher risk of osteoporosis, which is another good reason to increase dairy calcium. (Would that be like ?killing two birds with one stone??) According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, 1 person in 10 develops kidney stones during their lifetime. Renal stone disease accounts for 7 to 10 of every 1000 hospital admissions. Kidney stones are most prevalent in patients between the ages of 30 and 45. Incidence drops after age 50. Want to prevent a repeat occurrence of a kidney stone? Eating high calcium Stonyfield Farm yogurt is just a stone's ?throw away?! References:

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