Dr. Deepak Vyas gives out nine easy tips to prevent and reduce kidney stones naturally
About 80 % of kidney stones are composed of calcium oxalate & phosphate crystals, 5 – 10 % are formed due to Uric acid & about 5 – 15 % stones are formed due to struvite , whereas cystine , xanthin are the rare causes of stone formation . Whatever the cause be, these nine tips will surely help you combat the painful ailment.
Increase water intake: – Increasing water intake is one of the most effective way to prevent stone formation. Increase water intake to at least 2-3 liters/day this will help in the sufficient urine output.
Increase citrus fruits or juices: – Add adequate citrus fruits or juices of fruits like Lemon ,orange ,sweet lemon in your diet.
Tea & coffee: – Caffeine has a mild effect on increasing urine volume. Epidemiological studies show that coffee ingestion reduces stone formation, whereas tea is higher in oxalate content than coffee and should be avoided.
Include potassium in your diet: – Make your diet potassium rich and include fruits and salads in your meals. But if the patient has had kidney failure, caution must be taken.
Include calcium in your diet: – Food containing calcium should be taken. Various studies have shown that higher dietary calcium has been associated with lesser stones. Although, the older recommendation to restrict it remains popular, one should not restrict the intake. Calcium restriction also leads to decreases in bone mineral demineralization and worsens osteoporosis. Patients should ingest at least 800 mg of calcium per day in their diet.
Vitamin B6 rich food or supplements: – vitamin B6 rich diet prevents the stone formation.
Include dietary fiber: – Increased dietary fiber prevents stone recurrence in patients with hypercalciuria. It increases urinary oxalate excretion; selection of fibers with lower oxalate content may improve the efficacy of therapy. Increasing fiber intake via fruits & vegetables may increase intestinal transit time, which reduces oxalate absorption & excretion.
Avoid oxalate rich food: – High oxalate rich food like spinach, potato ,green beans ,ground nuts, white bread tea should be avoided.
Restrict animal protein: – Many data link increased dietary animal protein intake to increased stone incidence.
