What Foods Can You Eat To Prevent Kidney Stones?

The pain caused by the obstruction of the ureter by kidney stones can be fatal, and it is even listed as one of the "three major pains in life" alongside childbirth and toothache. Patients with kidney stones often do not know that they have kidney stones, and wait until the stones fall from the kidney to the ureter, causing urine blockage and severe pain, before going to the hospital for examination. Wecistanche professional physicians analyzed other symptoms that can help us detect kidney stones early, and also brought a diet that can prevent kidney stones.

Causes of Kidney Stones Formation

Kidney stones refer to the deposition of mineral crystals in the urine in the kidneys, forming stones. If the kidney stones are too large, they will block the ureter, causing urine blockage, and causing severe low back pain.

Goto Wanwan, a Japanese urologist, said that the formation of kidney stones is not only affected by eating habits, but heredity, environment, and body weight are all factors that may affect the formation of kidney stones.

And if insufficient water intake leads to insufficient urine output, unable to dilute the substances that cause stones, it will make kidney stones more likely to form.

In addition, many doctors and nutritionists in the medical field said that eating spinach and tofu will cause kidney stones is a common misconception among Chinese people. The oxalic acid in spinach and the calcium in tofu will indeed form calcium oxalate stones, but in the human body, Oxalic acid and calcium will be combined in the stomach and excreted with feces, and will not form kidney stones.

Types of kidney stones

There are many types of kidney stones depending on their composition, and the types of kidney stones will also vary according to factors such as environment, eating habits, weight, and genetics. Yan Zonghai, a professor of nephrology at Linkou Chang Gung, once pointed out in an article that the three most common types of kidney stones are They are:

Calcium oxalate stones: The urine is acidic (low pH). Hard, brittle, rough, irregular, tan-white substance.

Calcium phosphate stones: The urine is alkaline (high pH). Fragile, rough, irregular, off-white, yellow or brown.

Urate stones: Urine is persistently acidic. Hard, smooth, granular, yellow or brownish red.

Among them, calcium oxalate stones and calcium phosphate stones account for more than 85% of patients, and calcium oxalate stones account for the majority.

Symptoms of Kidney Stones

In addition to the severe pain caused by the kidney stone falling into the ureter, it sorted out other symptoms to help us detect kidney stones early:

Hematuria: Some patients with kidney stones only have mild or even indistinguishable hematuria with the naked eye, and blood in the urine can only be found through urinalysis, while patients with hematuria may not have any pain.

Cloudy urine and fever: If the stones are infected, white blood cells may be mixed in the collected urine, resulting in pyuria, and pyelonephritis caused by stone infection can also cause fever.

Back and abdominal pain: Because the kidney mucosa has no nerves that can feel pain, stones in the kidney usually do not cause pain, but the accumulation of urine in the kidney causes hydronephrosis, which can cause severe pain. As a result, the kidneys swell, which can also cause back and abdominal pain.

Other symptoms: Common symptoms of kidney stones include low back pain, night sweats, nausea, vomiting, irritability, abdominal pain, hematuria, etc. If combined with urinary tract infection, chills and fever may also occur.

If you have these conditions, please see a doctor as soon as possible, so that you can avoid the pain of a kidney stone blocking the ureter.

How to prevent calcium oxalate stones

Eat calcium-rich foods such as yogurt and milk: Many people get kidney stones due to lack of calcium. Milk and yogurt can supplement calcium to prevent kidney stones.

Avoid excessive intake of table salt: The sodium in table salt will promote the excretion of calcium by the kidneys while being excreted from the body, so excessive consumption of table salt should be avoided.

Avoid extra intake of vitamin C: Vitamin C will form oxalic acid in the body, so you don’t need to deliberately avoid eating natural foods containing vitamin C, but you should try to avoid taking vitamin C supplements.

Eat less foods rich in oxalic acid: coffee, black tea, green tea, chocolate, cocoa powder, nuts, soybeans, soy products, spinach, etc. It is best not to eat too much.

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How to prevent calcium phosphate stones

Eat less foods high in phosphorus

Milk, egg yolk, animal offal, yeast, oatmeal, wheat germ, nuts, whole grains, cocoa, shrimp, raisins, tofu, etc.

Prevent uric acid stones by eating like this

Eat less meat and fish: Meat and fish are rich in animal protein, which can easily cause excessive uric acid. You should consult a professional nutritionist according to your physique, exercise volume, and age.

Eat less Gopurin food: Gopurin food can also cause excessive uric acid, such as animal liver, shrimp, sea urchin, fish eggs, etc.

In addition to paying attention to the above dietary points, vegetables and fruits rich in potassium and dietary fiber, such as kiwi, can maintain the normal pH value of urine and achieve the effect of preventing stones. Citrus such as lemons and oranges contain citric acid, which can also prevent kidney stones. For the effect of stones, of course, remember to take enough water every day (your body weight multiplied by 30cc of water), so that stones are less likely to form.

5 ways to prevent kidney stones:

Drink plenty of water: Drinking plenty of water can dilute the stone-forming substances in your urine. It is recommended to drink 8 cups of water per day (about 240ml per cup), and the daily urine output should reach 2 liters. You can also drink lemonade, orange juice, and the citrate in citrus fruits can help prevent stone formation.

Calcium supplementation: Too little calcium intake will lead to increased oxalate concentration and easy formation of stones. Some studies believe that nutritional supplements such as calcium tablets may cause kidney stones, so it is recommended to take calcium from natural foods and supplement vitamin D to help calcium absorption.

Reduce sodium intake: A high-salt diet increases calcium in the urine, increasing the risk of kidney stones.

Control animal protein intake: Excessive meat, eggs, and seafood will increase the concentration of uric acid and reduce the concentration of citrate that can prevent stones.

Avoid stone-forming foods: Foods rich in oxalate include chocolate, beets, spinach, tea, and most nuts; cola is rich in phosphorus, which can easily lead to stones.

Kidney Stones Treatment

It once pointed out in the "High Medical News" that small urinary tract stones will usually be eliminated by themselves, while kidney stones larger than 2 cm or when symptoms occur, Active treatment is required to avoid complications such as acute renal failure and renal edema.

Treatment options for urinary stones include:

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy: through a drainage tube leading to the urinary system, kidney stones are crushed and removed using a nephroscope.

Ureteroscope: Used for calculi in the middle and lower ureters, or when extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is ineffective.

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy: use electric shock or magnetic field shock wave energy to crush kidney stones and excrete them with urine. It needs to be used in conjunction with a large amount of drinking water and drugs.