by Dr. Suresh Prasad Aggrawal, M.S., D.N.B.(Urology). Consultant Urologist, Andrologist & Kidney Transplant Surgeon, Patel Hospital Jalandhar
Kidney stones are hard mineral deposits that form inside your kidneys. They cause severe excruciating pain when they pass through your urinary tract. Urinary calculi (Kidney Stone) are more common in men than in women. They usually occurred more frequently between 30 years to 40 years. Once you have had one stone in the kidney, you are 50% more likely to get another within the next 10 years.
There is no one sure way to prevent kidney stones, especially if you have a family history of the condition. A combination of diet and lifestyle changes as well as some medications may help reduce your risk.
- Staying hydrated by drinking more water is the best way to prevent kidney stones. If you drink less water, your urine output will be low. Low urine output means your urine is more concentrated, and less likely to dissolve a urine salt that causes stone.
- Lemonade and orange juice are also good options. They both contain citrate which may prevent kidney stone
- Try to drink around eight glasses of fluids daily, or enough to pass 2 liters of urine. If you exercise or sweat a lot, or if you have history of cystine stone, you will need additional fluids.
- Eat more calcium-rich food. Low calcium diet may increase your kidney stone risk and risk of osteoporosis. Low-fat milk, low-fat cheese, and low-fat yogurt are all good calcium-rich food.
- A high salt diet increases your risk of calcium kidney stones. High salts prevent calcium absorption from the urine to the blood. This causes high calcium in urine, which may lead to stone formation. So, you should take a low salt diet to reduce the calcium in the urine.
- Eat less oxalate-rich foods, a natural compound found in foods that bind with calcium in the urine to form kidney stones. Limiting oxalate-rich foods may help prevent the stone from foods high in oxalate are spinach, chocolate, coffee, beats, peanut, rhubarb, and wheat bran.
- Eat less animal proteins which are acidic and may increase urine acid. High urine acid causes both uric acid and calcium oxalate kidney stones. Avoid beef, poultry, pork and fish.
If any doubt then consult your urologist.
