subject: Diet to Prevent Kidney Stones Prevention is the Best Medicine [print this page] Diet to Prevent Kidney Stones Prevention is the Best Medicine
With the increase of kidney stone related cases, it would seem to make sense that there should be a diet for the prevention of this disease. Statistics show roughly 4% of the United States population has stones. An alarming 12% of the male population has renal stones when they reach the age of 70. Over 200,000 Americans require hospitalization for treatment every year.
The main culprit appears to be too much calcium in the urine causing the formation of these stones. It is to blame for more than 70% of total occurrences. While formation mechanisms may vary, some other factors exist in most cases such as drugs, medical conditions, and dietary factors.
A major component of the diet to prevent renal stones involves the prevention of them repeating. Preventive measures involve:
Consuming a large amount of water daily.
Changes in dietary habits.
Some form of medication.
Consuming large volumes of water daily will help dilute the mineral or stone-forming salts in the individuals urine. Many experts will advise people who are susceptible to kidney stones to drink 12 eight-ounce glasses of water daily as a minimum. Kidney stones cannot form in urine that is heavily diluted.
Since kidney stones and diet are interrelated to one another, it only makes sense that the diet is adjusted to prevent kidney stone formation in the first place. Due to the fact that calcium stones are the most common type, experts have recommended a low-calcium and low-oxalate dietary plan.
Diet to prevent kidney stones excludes the intake of these foods:
Foods that are high in calcium which means many dairy products.
Foods that are rich in oxalate include colas, chocolate, peanuts, leafy vegetables, and tea.
Eliminating these foods in the diet is likely to lower the concentration of calcium and oxalate in the urine. In most cases of uric acid stones, a diet low in animal proteins is highly recommended. Foods that have a high presence of purines, which contribute to uric acid stones, include poultry and red wines.
With strict monitoring of water intake and diet, stones can still form. But there are some medications that can be used to prevent this from happening.
The purpose of these medications is to reduce the levels of stone-forming chemicals that include uric acid, calcium, oxalate, or cystine in the bloodstream. They will also inhibit an enzyme required by the bacteria that cause struvite stones to form.
