Keep kidney stones away with dietary changes

                           Not Medical advice, I am not a doctor

Please check this with a qualified health care professional

How Kidney Stones (KS) are formed

1. 75% of KS are Calcium Oxalate
2. KS forms when excess Calcium and excess oxalate meet in the kidney.
   ie Calcium + Oxalate  ~> Calcium Oxalate
3. If no excess of either Calcium or oxalate, stones are less likely to form
   
   
4. Calcium is necessary mineral found in meat, dairy, beans & green veggies
5. Oxalate is found in plant based food ( veggies, beans, spices etc )
   
   
6. Reducing Calcium in our diet is not the best way to avoid KS
7. Reducing oxalate is better & easier.
   
   
   
   

Method1: How to reduce Oxalate intake

• Choose more low-oxalate beans, veggies & spices (see list below)
  
  
  

Method 2: How to neutralise Oxalates with chemicals

• Magnesium or Citric acid (Citrate) block KS formation
• Magnesium Citrate supplement   > Bloom's Magnesium Citrate capsules << Click here
  
• Citric acid also in all citrus fruits (orange, lemon, lime and highest in grape fruit)
  
  
• Calcium eaten with oxalate locks Calcium Oxalate in gut and passes out as poo (good)
• Calcium eaten at diff time in high oxalate meals causes these 2 to be absorbed in the blood and combines in kidneys to form KS (bad) 
• Magnesium or Citric acid eaten with oxalate in the SAME meal, locks Calcium Oxalate in gut, passing it out as poo (good)
  
  

How to lower other risk factors 

• reduce meat/ protein to avoid excess Calcium intake
  > Excess Calcium may also lead to Calcium deposits in heart/ arteries: Arteriosclerosis
  
  > Better to take Vit-D & Vit-K2 to ensure calcium from veggies/ meat ends up in bones , and not heart / arteries
  
  >....early 1990s, a study conducted for the Women’s Health Initiative in  US found  postmenopausal women who consumed 1000 mg of supplemental calcium and 400 iu of vitamin D per day for 7 years had 17% higher risk of developing kidney stones than subjects taking a placebo. The Nurses’ Health Study also showed an association between supplemental calcium intake and kidney stone formation. 
  
  Unlike supplemental calcium, high intakes of dietary calcium don't appear to cause kidney stones and may actually protect against their development. This is perhaps related to the role of calcium in binding ingested oxalate in the gastrointestinal tract.
  > https://iraniansurgery.com/en/kidney-stone-disease/
  
  
• reduce salt
• increase water intake
• increase potassium ( banana, avocado etc) intake

Link between Oxalates and Chronic Kidney Disease CKD

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4891250/
2. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2726051
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7551439/

Reference sources:

1. Oxalate content of foods
https://e-cnr.org/ViewImage.php?Type=TH&aid=487614&id=T9&afn=9994_CNR_4_3_137&fn=cnr-4-137-i009_9994CNR 

2. Which spices are high in oxalate?
https://sallyknorton.com/which-spices-are-high-in-oxalate/

 
List of high & low oxalate content (mg / 100g)

Flour

1. Wheat Germ 269
2. Buckwheat 蕎 麥 269
3. Soy 183
4. Wheat whole 67
5. Barley 56

Fruits

1. Rhubarb 800
2. Cocoa / chocolate (very high)
   
   
3. Blue Berries
4. Apple
5. Avocado
6. Grapefruit
7. Lemon
8. Banana 
9. Blackberries 19
10. Currants 19
11. Papaya 5

Nuts

1. Almonds 469
2. Cashews 262
3. Hazel 222
4. Pine nuts 140
5. Peanuts 142
6. Walnuts 74
7. Pistachio 49
8. macadamia 42

Seed veggies

1. Eggplant 190 ( aka brinjal)
2. Tomato  50
3. Squash  20
4. Cucumber 20

Legumes

1. Tofu  275  ( but is ok, as tofu contains Calcium or Magnesium coagulant that binds  oxalates)
2. White beans  78
3. Black beans  72
   
4. Soy  56
5. Moong /Mung bean
6. Chickpeas
7. Adzuki (red) 25 aka (hoong-dao)
8. Kidney beans16
9. Lentils  8

Leafy veggies

1. Parsley (歐 芹) 1700
2. Chives (韭 菜)  1480
3. Purslane 1310
4. Amaranth leaves 1090
5. Spinach 970     
6. Beets  610 (beet root)
7. Collards (gai-choy) 450
8. Lettuce 330
9. Watercress 310
10. Cabbage 100
11. Choy sum
12. Gai lan
13. Leek 89 
14. Kale  20
15. Chinese cabbage 6 (wong-ah-pak)
16. Boy choy (pak-choy) 

Stem & Stalk veggies

1. Celery   190
2. Broccoli 190 ( is OK, as u dont eat much)
3. Cauliflower 150
4. Brussel sprouts
5. Asparagus  130

Tubers & Roots

1. Cassava  1260
2. Beetroot boiled  675    
3. Carrot raw 500  
4. Garlic  360
5. Sweet potato 240
6. Potato 50
7. Onion  50
8. Corn 10

 

Spices 

1. Turmeric  2190 (but is ok, a typically e done too much of this)
2. Clove  2000
3. Cinnamon  1600
4. Fennel seed 1290
5. Celery seed 1280
6. Curry powder 1200
7. Cumin seed 1000
8. Garlic powder 7

Reference material

Animal protein 

Diets in Western nations typically contain high intake of animal protein.

Eating animal protein creates an acid load that increases urinary excretion of calcium and uric acid and reduced citrate.
Urinary excretion of excess sulfurous amino acids (ie cysteine and methionine), uric acid, and other acidic metabolites from animal protein acidifies the urine, which promotes the formation of kidney stones. Low urinary-citrate excretion is also commonly found in those with a high dietary intake of animal protein, whereas vegetarians tend to have higher levels of citrate excretion. Low urinary citrate, too, promotes stone formation

Risk factors 

Dehydration from low fluid intake is a big factor in kidney stone formation. 
People living in warm climates are at higher risk due to increased fluid loss. Obesity, immobility, and sedentary lifestyles are other significant risk factors. 

High dietary intake of animal protein, sodium, sugars including honey, refined sugars, fructose and high fructose corn syrup, and excessive consumption of fruit juices may increase the risk of kidney stone formation due to increased uric acid excretion and elevated urinary oxalate levels (whereas tea, coffee, wine and beer may decrease the risk). 

Fluoridated tap water may increase the risk of kidney stone formation by a similar mechanism, though further epidemiologic studies are needed to determine whether fluoride in drinking water is associated with an increased incidence of kidney stones. 

High intake of potassium appears to reduce the risk of stone formation because potassium promotes the urinary excretion of citrate, an inhibitor of calcium crystal formation


1. 
The Effect of Animal Protein on the Kidneys

Written By Michael Greger M.D. FACLM • February 8, 2018

• https://nutritionfacts.org/2018/02/08/the-effect-of-animal-protein-on-the-kidneys