Foods That Will Help You Fight Kidney Stones

“What products should be concluded from the diet in the case of kidney stones?”, “What should I eat if I have kidney stones?” – these questions have a million responses in the search results. So, the interest in this topic is high enough. From this article, you will know how you should correct your nutrition in cases of vesical calcification or propensity for kidney stones.

“Drink more water, consume less salt and eat more products rich in calcium. All other things depend on the chemical structure of your kidney stones”,- says The New York Times specialist in an emergency medicine Richard Klasco.

Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, and Water

More than 90 percent of kidney stones usually consist of calcium in the form of calcium oxalates, calcium phosphate or hydroxyapatite. Less frequently kidney stones are composed of uric acid or other chemicals. Moreover, the same person may have different types of kidney stones.

Given that most of the kidney stones contain calcium, traditionally doctors recommended their patients to decrease the amount of calcium. But new researches have shown that these recommendations were wrong.

At the beginning of the 1990s, the group of doctors from Harvard University for four years was monitoring the health condition of 45,000 men, which have never had kidney stones, and arrived at a surprising conclusion. It turned out that high-calcium diets decrease the risk of vesical calcification.

Scientists continued to monitor the patient’s health indicators for 14 years and detected that calcium diet protected from kidney stones occurrence. In doing so, diets which include a big amount of magnesium, potassium, and water have also demonstrated noticeable protective functions.

Main Recommendations of Urologists

In 2005, the number of volunteers was increased to 240,000 people. So, it was observed that obesity and abnormal weight gain, especially in women, increased the risk of kidney stones.

Later, in an effort to give patients some recommendations about nutrition, a Harvard group found that DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) – is a diet which is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods, is healthy not only for people who suffer from hypertension but also for those who suffer from kidney stones.

However, urologists in Brooklyn say that it’s not necessary to strictly follow the DASH diet. American Urological Association gives simpler but more effective recommendations:

• Drink no less than 2.5 liters of liquid daily

• Restrict consumption of sodium to 2300 mg daily

• Consume 1000-1200 mg of calcium daily

Getting enough liquids deserves special attention because water is not the only one liquid which protects from kidney stones. Researches show that coffee, tea, orange juice, and even wine may also protect you from kidney stones.

But on the other hand, if you want to change your nutrition taking into account decreasing certain risks, you should consult with a doctor in any case. For the simple reason that the doctor may give you more particular recommendations related to the chemical structure of your kidney stones.