You are what you eat. The right diet is good for your health and, according to a study, can even help to prevent the formation of kidney stones.
Kidney stones can not only cause unbearable pain, but also lead to and even become chronic kidney disease osteoporosis and associated with cardiovascular disease. If you want to avoid these painful stones in the future, you should pay attention to a few things. A prospective study has now found out how to prevent kidney stones and which nutrients are particularly important in the diet.
Proper nutrition against kidney stones
Kidney stones are small, pebble-like deposits that form in the kidney pelvis when the calcium or uric acid salts in the urine become too high and cannot dissolve. And once you’ve had a kidney stone, you seem to have a 30 percent chance of getting another one within five years. This has now been confirmed by a study by the Mayo Clinic, in which the effects of dietary changes have been examined. The good thing is that you can prevent with a conscious diet and avoid future (but also first) kidney stones with certain nutrients. The minerals are important for this calcium and potassium.1
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Kidney stones from nutrient deficiency
For the study, the researchers asked 795 patients about their eating habits. Among them were 411 patients who had symptomatic kidney stones for the first time and 384 people who formed the control group. All participants were treated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and the Mayo Clinic in Florida between 2009 and 2018. The results show that a diet lower in calcium, potassium and phytate intake is unfavorable and linked to the painful stones. Phytate is an antioxidant compound found in whole grains, nuts, and other foods that helps the body better utilize calcium. In 73 patients who were deficient in these nutrients in their diet, kidney stones recurred an average of 4.1 years later.
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Pay attention to calcium and potassium in your diet
The researchers conclude that a diet with a daily calcium intake of 1200 milligrams can counteract first-time and recurring kidney stones. Api Chewcharat, first author of the article and a postdoctoral fellow at the Mayo Clinic at the time of the study, therefore recommends paying attention to the calcium and potassium content in the diet and integrating more fruits and vegetables into the diet. This need can be met with a mix of the following foods:
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Don’t forget: drink enough
In addition to low levels of calcium and potassium in the diet, low fluid and caffeine intake would also promote kidney stones. If you drink too little, this can lead to a low urine volume and an increased urine concentration and thus to stone formation. According to the scientists, anyone who consumes less than 3.4 liters of liquid per day is at risk of developing (recurring) kidney stones. There is no need to be alarmed here – the guideline includes the water intake from foods such as fruit and vegetables. All in all, however, fluid intake is not as crucial as low calcium and potassium levels. That’s not to say that drinking a lot isn’t important. However, no benefit was seen in patients with a history of kidney disease from drinking above-average amounts of water and coffee.
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Fruits and vegetables for kidney stones
Anyone who pays attention to a lot of fruit, vegetables and liquids in their diet declares war on future or further small pebbles in the renal pelvis. Because a diet rich in calcium and potassium can help prevent the first and recurring symptomatic kidney stones. While these findings will not motivate people who have never had kidney stones to change their diet, for people with a history of kidney stones, these findings are important to help prevent the condition from happening again. This knowledge can also help with their treatment.