What can I do to prevent kidney stones?
Kidney stones form when there are solids in high concentration in the urine. The types of solid elements in the urine contribute to kidney stone formation. The most common type of stone—75-85% of stones—is a calcium salt precipitate. These stones have become more prevalent in people as the modern diet includes less fiber, more highly refined carbohydrates, and high alcohol, animal protein, fat and milk product consumption. Generally, vegetarians have a decreased risk of developing stones, as do meat eaters who also eat adequate amounts of vegetables and fruits every day. People with diets low in magnesium and B6 also show increased stone formation. The calcium level in the blood also affects stone formation and can be influenced by diet. People who eat sugar have higher amounts of urinary calcium. People who eat high-fiber diets have lower amounts of urinary calcium, and greater amounts of magnesium and vitamin B6. Passing a stone is very painful; so once you have passed a kidney stone
Dr. Green: You can minimize your risk by: • drinking 12 (8 oz.) glasses of water per day • proper diet • taking your stone prevention medication • close follow-up by your doctor Q. What is the future for kidney stones? Dr. Green: Research will continue in this country and abroad on developing less traumatic and more effective treatment methodology. However, our greatest impact on the prevention of pain, suffering, and kidney damage from urinary calculi will come when we are able to identify more accurately the at-risk population before they present with urinary stone disease, so that they can be treated early enough to prevent the formation of urinary calculi… preventive medicine.
