Feeding for kidney stones: which foods to take and which to avoid



Nutrition against kidney stones cannot be universal, but must be customized according to the needs of the individual subject. Let's find out better.

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> 3. Did you know that

Poor calcium water against kidney stones

What do kidney stones do?

Kidney stones are compact formations that appear as a result of the excessive concentration in the urine of some substances that aggregate with each other.

Especially men aged between 30 and 60 are particularly affected . It is estimated that 5/7% of the population has this disorder, with a peak around 10% in those over 50 years.

Kidney stones tend to recur, that is, to reform. In one out of 5 patients, in fact, nephrolithiasis occurs again during the first two years.

When they are very small, that is when they are 9 mm in diameter or less, they are often expelled spontaneously.

The causes can be different. The metabolic forms are the most frequent; in these cases, the disorder originates from an anomaly in the metabolism, for example for hypercalciuria that is for an increase in the quantity of calcium present in the urine; for hyperuricuria, that is for the increase in the quantity of uric acid in the urine; for the reduction of the presence of magnesium in the urine and for other causes due, precisely, to a metabolism deficit.

There are also metabolic forms of known cause, for example an infection, a malformation of the urinary tract, the intake of some drugs and so on. Finally, there are idiopathic forms, the least frequent, and that is cases in which even accurate research does not allow to identify the causes of kidney stones.

Kidney stones are often asymptomatic and in fact many times the diagnosis occurs by chance, during investigations performed for other reasons. In 20/30% of cases, on the other hand, urinary disorders, the presence of blood in the urine, turbid and foul-smelling urine can occur through renal colic .

You can learn more about symptoms, causes and natural cures for kidney stones

Feeding for kidney stones: which foods to take and which to avoid

Is there a diet to save oneself from kidney stones ? Positions, as often happens when it comes to human health, are quite different and sometimes controversial.

There is, for example, a diet, the so-called hydropinic diet, which may be able to prevent the formation not only of kidney stones, but also of all other types of stones.

It consists in drinking a volume of water daily that allows a good volume of urine in 24 hours. In a correct hydropinic diet, the quantity, the method and the type of water must be prescribed by the doctor.

There is water and water. The one recommended for feeding against kidney stones is low mineral content, with a medium-low calcium content. Drinking water that is particularly low in calcium, ie with a concentration below 40 mg / l, may not always be appropriate as it could cause a negative calcium balance and therefore an increase in the absorption of oxalate in the intestine.

For the same reason, a diet with reduced calcium content is not always advisable and should be reserved for those patients who have actually shown a diet-dependent hypercalciuria . Furthermore, a diet that is too low in calcium can cause osteoporosis.

An adequate diet for those suffering from kidney stones, but also for those who want to prevent them, it is generally low in sodium and therefore in table salt, sausages, preserved food, etc.

It also provides a normal intake of proteins, that is about 1 gram per kg of body weight, in order to reduce the urinary excretion of calcium, uric acid and oxalates and increase that of citrates, with a protective effect.

Finally, it should be remembered that fruits and vegetables are rich in oxalate. For obvious reasons, however, it is not advisable to avoid all these foods or even drastically reduce their intake. However, it is enough to know that spinach, rhubarb and dried fruit contain many of them.

Even chocolate is a food with a high oxalate content.

Did you know that

Kidney stones are a disease known since ancient times. The oldest documents certifying the knowledge date back to 4800 BC and describe the finding of a bladder stone in an Egyptian mummy. References to nephrolithiasis can also be found in Indian Sanskrit and Babylonian literature.

The correlation between kidney stones and nutrition has also been known for a very long time. In fact, Galeno had already reported the existence of a relationship between this disorder and factors such as diet, age and environment.

Several well-known historical figures have suffered from kidney stones, including Napoleon Bonaparte, Beethoven and Martin Luther.

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