Preventing kidney stones means preventing the
conditions that support their formation. I asked Dr. Melanie Hoenig, an
assistant professor of medicine at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center, for the top ways to prevent kidney stones. Here are her
recommendations:
Drink
plenty of water: Drinking extra water dilutes the
substances in urine that lead to stones. Strive to drink enough fluids to pass
2 liters of urine a day, which is roughly eight standard 8-ounce cups. It may
help to include some citrus beverages, like lemonade and orange juice. The
citrate in these beverages helps block stone formation.
Get
the calcium you need: Getting too little calcium in your
diet can cause oxalate levels to rise and cause kidney stones. To prevent this,
make sure to take in an amount of calcium appropriate to your age. Ideally, obtain
calcium from foods, since some studies have linked taking calcium supplements
to kidney stones. Men 50 and older should get 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium
per day, along with 800 to 1,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D to help
the body absorb the calcium.
Reduce
sodium: A high-sodium diet can trigger kidney stones
because it increases the amount of calcium in your urine. So a low-sodium diet
is recommended for the stone prone. Current guidelines suggest limiting total
daily sodium intake to 2,300 mg. If sodium has contributed to kidney stones in
the past, try to reduce your daily intake to 1,500 mg. This will also be good
for your blood pressure and heart.
Limit
animal protein: Eating too much animal protein, such
as red meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood, boosts the level of uric acid and
could lead to kidney stones. A high-protein diet also reduces levels of
citrate, the chemical in urine that helps prevent stones from forming. If
you’re prone to stones, limit your daily meat intake to a quantity that is no
bigger than a pack of playing cards. This is also a heart-healthy portion.
Avoid
stone-forming foods: Beets, chocolate, spinach, rhubarb,
tea, and most nuts are rich in oxalate, and colas are rich in phosphate, both
of which can contribute to kidney stones. If you suffer from stones, yourdoctor may advise you to avoid these foods or to consume them in smaller
amounts.
For everyone else, particular foods and drinks are
unlikely to trigger kidney stones unless consumed in extremely high amounts.
Some studies have shown that men who take high doses of vitamin C in the form
of supplements are at slightly higher risk of kidney stones. That may be
because the body converts vitamin C into oxalate.
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