Healthy Foods Ward Off Kidney Stones

WASHINGTONFollowing a diet designed to prevent high blood pressure also can help ward off the formation of kidney stones, according to a study published online Sept. 16 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

The findings suggest that the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which is high in fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, dairy products, and whole grains and low in sweetened beverages and red and processed meats, effectively lowers blood pressure.

Researcher Eric Taylor, MD, and colleagues studied 24-hour urine samples of 3,426 individuals with and without a history of kidney stones in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) and the Nurses Health Studies (NHS) I and II. The study participants were part of a previous, larger study where Taylor reported that a DASH-style diet was associated with a reduced risk of kidney stone formation. HPFS and NHS I and II are large studies of the lifestyle practices and health of both male and female health care workers.

Individuals who followed a DASH-style diet excreted more urine than individuals who did not follow the diet, despite similar fluid intake. The researchers speculate that higher urinary volumes were partly a result of the higher food water content in a DASH-style diet. The urine of DASH consumers also contained a higher concentration of citrate, an important inhibitor of calcium stones, than the urine of others in the analysis.

The study also indicated that there may be other important, and perhaps as of yet unidentified, kidney stone inhibitors in dairy products and/or plants. Data suggest that a DASH-style diet could be important for keeping stones from reappearing in people who suffer from them.