Kidney Stones

There is universal agreement: kidney stones are the most painful experiences known. Once someone has a kidney stone he will make all efforts to prevent it from happening again. There are some current recommendations lending scientific credence to widely held beliefs.

Drinking more fluid to increase urination may decrease the risk of recurrence of kidney stones. Patients who have had kidney stones should drink enough to produce at least two liters of urine daily.

Researchers reviewed published literature from 1948 to March 2014 to create the evidence-based guideline, which appeared in the Nov. 4 Annals of Internal Medicine. 

Stone recurrence may also be prevented by reducing dietary oxalate, such as that found in chocolate, beets, nuts, rhubarb, spinach, strawberries, tea, and wheat bran; reducing dietary animal protein and purines; and maintaining normal dietary calcium, according to the guideline.

The evidence also showed that patients who decreased intake of soda that was acidified by phosphoric acid had reduced kidney stone recurrence. The benefit was limited to patients who drank soda that was acidified by phosphoric acid (typically colas) rather than those acidified by citric acid (typically fruit-flavored sodas).  Even though colas are the bad actors in these studies, there doesn’t appear to be any role for any type of soda in the diet.