Kidney Stone Prevention: Top 5 Tips

If you've never had a kidney stone, odds are you probably know someone who has. Kidney stone patients tend to say very similar things about their experience, "worst pain of my life!", "12 out of 10 pain!", "I'd rather give birth to ten babies!", "I'll do anything to avoid this again!", and so forth. Kidney stones are unfortunately very common. Almost 10% of adults in the U.S. will get one in their lifetime and they account for more than 1 million emergency room visits across the U.S. every year.

There are many reasons why we may get kidney stones including, genetics, climate, diet, and lifestyle. Some of this is beyond our control. We can't do much about our genes, you pretty much got what you got. Thank your ancestors. Kidney stones are known to be more common in hotter climates, so you can move to Alaska if want, but not everyone wants to do that. So what is within our control? What can we do to prevent kidney stones? Here are my top 5 tips that I discuss with patients every day.

1) Drink more Water

Let's be honest, everyone knows this already, but what you might not know is just how much water you need to drink. Medical studies tell us to aim for about 80 ounces (oz) per day. If you're like me it's hard to conceptualize just how much fluid that really is. To put it into context, your average Starbucks coffee cup contains 12-16 oz, a regular can of soda is 12 oz, and a standard plastic water bottle from the grocery store holds 16 oz. So with that perspective, do the math, drink more water and remember, it is the single most important thing you can do prevent those little stoney devils.

You may be thinking to yourself, "what about soda?" I'm sure your mom or neighbor has told you that soda caused your kidney stones. In reality, it's not so clear cut. Dietary studies have looked at the influence of various beverage types on kidney stone risk, but it's difficult to make firm conclusions from these studies due to confounding variables. Soda may not actually be causing your kidney stones, but I generally do recommend avoiding soda because the sugar and caffeine content may pose other health risks and are unfriendly to your bladder.

2) Watch your Sodium intake

Cardiologists and primary care physicians having been telling us for years to lower our sodium intake. Guess what, urologists are saying it too. Not only does excess sodium cause high blood pressure, it also can cause kidney stones. Our bodies require sodium to function normally; we can't live without it. However, excess sodium intake causes more calcium to be dumped into your urine. More urinary calcium = more kidney stones. I advise my patients to follow the American Heart Association guidelines which recommend no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day, and ideally less than 1,500 mg per day. In response you might say, "but I don't add salt to my food". The problem is sodium sneaks into our diets in many ways, not just from the salt shaker. Prepackaged and processed foods often contain whopping amounts of sodium. So do restaurant foods, pizza, soups, breads, and deli meat.

3) Eat less Meat.

I'm not telling you to be become a vegetarian, but I'll say this, I don't see many vegetarians with kidney stones. There's good reason for this. The digestion process of animal protein causes urine to be more acidic and higher in uric acid - both of which are a recipe for kidney stones. And it's not just beef! Fish, chicken, and pork all cause a similar effect. I encourage patients to find ways to alkalinize their diet by substituting meat for plant based proteins and eating more fruits and vegetables. To this end I highly recommend consulting with a dietician, they're a great resource.

4) Get the right amount of Calcium

Most kidney stones are made of calcium-oxalate. So naturally one might conclude that this means you need to cut back on calcium, right? While it's true that too much dietary calcium is a risk factor for stones, too little calcium is also problematic. Studies have shown that people who get a 'normal' amount of calcium do better than those on a calcium restricted diet. Depending on age, gender and other medical conditions, most people generally need between 1,000 and 1,200 mg of Calcium per day.

5) Beware of Oxalate.

I often hesitate to even mention this one, but patients ought to know the link between oxalate containing foods and kidney stones. The trouble is, oxalate is in many of the foods we all like to eat; spinach, nuts, tea, chocolate, potatoes, just to name a few. Practically speaking it is very difficult to avoid consistently. My advice to frequent stone formers is do your best to follow a low oxalate diet. To everyone else, pay most attention to tips 1-4.

I hope you find this blog educational. I discuss these tips with my patients every day so I wanted to create a written format for patients to refer back to.. This information is generalized an applicable to most kidney stone patients, however individual circumstances vary and not all information may apply to you. There are several types of kidney stones, some of which may require medication or other medical interventions to control and prevent. As always please consult with your personal healthcare provider regarding your specific situation and needs.

*Medical Disclaimer: The information provided above and anywhere else on this website is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. This information may not be appropriate for all patients, especially those with certain heart, lung, digestive, or kidney disorders. Reading this information or using this website does not in any way establish a patient-physician relationship between you and Dr. Orien. Always consult with your personal healthcare provider before making any decisions based on this information or any other information you encounter on blogs, websites, or social media.