Now a days kidney stone or renal calculi prevalence is increasing with day by day. Worldwide kidney stone prevalence is about 12% now. Almost every 1 person among 10 is affected by kidney stone in any time of their lifetime. It is costly to bear. After first occurrence, 50% of patients at 5 years and 70% of patients at 9 years face same problem again. Prevention is the best way to avoid recurrence. Patient counselling about their dietary intake is crucial to avoid stone recurrence.
Several issues can contribute to stone formation. Diet, climate, genetics, medications, activity and underlying medical conditions can lead to kidney stone formations. Persons who have positive family history, recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI) can have stone reformation again. Hyperparathyroidism, renal tubular acidosis (RTA) etc. are also risk factors for stone recurrency. Persons with kidney stones should have to avoid foods that cause kidney stones.
Foods that cause kidney stones should be taken with caution
Our lifestyle influences our health a lot. There are several foods that cause kidney stones in prone to patients. Kidney stones usually found in four types. They are calcium stone, uric acid stone, struvite stone and cystine stone.
How to prevent kidney stone formation and prevent stone reformation?
There are several things that induce the kidney stone formation. Becoming cautious about them help to reduce the chance to build up stones. Stones can build up inside the kidney or adjacent urinary tract or bladder area.
We often take less water, take unhealthy food or just ignore our increasing weight. They can become vital problems to our stone forming factors. We have to know them and also become cautious about them if someone already have stones. Because kidney stones have tendency to reform again after first time treatment. Foods that cause kidney stones also should be taken with much more noticing way.
1. Increase Fluid Intake
In this busy world we often have to fight with time. So, we often forget to take adequate amount of water and fluid foods. Water and fluid usually wash out the stones through urine. To prevent stone formation, we have to pee at least 2 to 2.5 Liter per day. For this 250 ml of fluid should be taken with each large meal. Also 250 ml water between meals, before bed and at arising time to void at night.
Hydration during night sleep is very important to break the most concentrated urine at first morning pee. Half of this whole fluid intake should come from water. All other tea, coffee, soup, broth, soda also have to count.
Sometimes it needs to take more than 3 L of water. Strenuous exercise, sweating, hot spring shower etc. are good for our health. But they tend to take out fluid from inside of our body. Long staying in very dry area like commercial aero plane cabin also dehydrate our body. In such cases we need to take more fluid than 3 Liter. Some stone former patients have low thirst because of vasopressin alteration. They have to take treatment for this reduced thirst to prevent stone formation.
2. Take adequate calcium rich foods
It was suggested to calcium stone patients to refrain from calcium food intake. But several studies have shown that low intake of calcium foods do not reduce hypercalciuria but increase it. Instead, the higher the calcium intake the lower the risk of calcium stone formation. Dietary calcium intake reduces the dietary oxalate absorption. If calcium supplementation is suggested it should be taken with meal. It will reduce the oxalate absorption.
Calcium intake about 1200 mg/day with animal protein and sodium restriction is best suitable to prevent stone formation.
3. Reduce oxalate rich foods if you have oxalate stone
Higher urinary oxalate level increases the nephrolithiasis chance. If the patient has high urinary oxalate, he/she should be in a low oxalate diet. Spinach, rhubarb, strawberry, chocolate, whole grain wheat products, nuts (almonds, peanuts, pecans), beets, tea (green, black, iced, instant) are high oxalate foods. Although all plant foods contain oxalate, oxalate of these foods are very highly absorbable. Hence, they should be avoided.
Oxalate can be produced endogenously. Without vitamin B6, oxalate produces. Patients who produce oxaluric stones, pyridoxin supplementation helps to reduce stone formation among them.
4. Check your animal protein intake
One healthy person needs 0.8 gm to 1.0 gm of protein per day. If a person regularly take high protein than his needs, it may lead to stone formations. High protein specially from animal protein may lead to such consequences. People who take meat have higher tendency to stone formation than vegetarians.
About 10-15% of stones are uric acid stones. They are the result of high protein diet. Very high protein in diet increases urine oxalate level, urea level, makes the urine acidic and reduces urine citrate level. All these leads to stone formation.
5. Check Your Micronutrients Intake
There are several micronutrients those we usually don’t give any notice may lead to stone formation. Citrate, magnesium intake, sodium level control, different vitamins give various effects on stone formation. Foods that cause kidney stones also contain several factors which increase the kidney stone risk. We need to look through these factors also.
Citrate
Different fruits give sufficient amount of citrate. Citrate from diet binds with calcium and the calcium is less available in the urine. Thus, oxalate cannot bind with calcium to make stones.
People with recurrent stone formations usually do not take fruits. They should be encouraged with different fruits intake.
Magnesium
Magnesium is another micro nutrient that inhibits oxalate absorption. Thus, they help to reduce stone formation in the kidney. Different seeds, nuts, legumes, dark chocolates, whole grains and some vegetables are rich source of magnesium.
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Healthy eating is always good and again it also helps you to prevent stone formation in the kidney.
Cut down sodium intake
High sodium intake increases crystallization in the kidney. For every 1380 mg of sodium in diet increases urinary calcium around 1.6 times more. Hypertensive people tend to form kidney stone more than a normal people.
Kidney stone patients need to restrict sodium intake within 2300 mg per day. Most of the processed foods, packaged foods contain high amount of sodium. If sodium or salt is written within first 5 rows of the packet, that is a high sodium food. Just avoid that food.
Other factors
Obesity
Obesity is associated with kidney stone formation. Obesity is associated with insulin resistance and metabolic complications.
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Women with BMI more than 30 tend to have kidney stone much more than non-obese women. As the weight increases urinary calcium, oxalate and uric acid are also increase. All of them lead to stone formation.
Potassium
A low potassium diet is usually tending to high in sodium. Those who have stone should take low oxalate but high potassium foods through out the day. That helps to reduce the chance of stone formation.
Vitamin C supplements usually exceed more than 500 mg of vitamin C. A high vitamin C intake has a correlation with stone formation. Maximum 2000 mg of vitamin C can be taken. Large doses of vitamin C should be avoided.
Omega 3 fatty acid
It has been shown that high omega 3 fatty acid aids to reduce urinary calcium and oxalate. Fatty fishes contain omega 3 fatty acids. Very high number of fish also give high amount of uric acid, hence stone formers should opt to omega 3 supplements.
Final Thought
In this modern world about 14% population are affected by kidney stone. It is important to prevent stone formation. Once stone formation may repeat again if dietary changes are not appropriate. First time and repeated time stone formation can be prevented by avoiding foods that cause kidney stones.
