The Unlucky 13 Risk Factors for Kidney Stones

If you’ve had a kidney stone, it may have been the most painful experience of your life! Most kidney stones do pass on their own without causing lasting damage. If you get a kidney stone and go about your life without making any changes, the odds are about 50/50 that another kidney stone may occur again within five years.

What Exactly Are Kidney Stones?

Kidney stones are masses of minerals, typically calcium and oxalate, that become lodged in your urinary tract. Usually, compounds in your urine inhibit these crystals from forming.

Some people form stones when their urine contains more crystal-forming substances, such as calcium and uric acid, than can dissolve in the urine. If the stone is large enough to cause irritation or blockage, severe pain will typically result. The pain may shift to different locations and change in intensity as the stones move about.

Other symptoms of kidney stones include:

1. Severe pain in the side and back, below the ribs
2. Pain that spreads to the lower abdomen and groin
3. Pain that comes in waves and fluctuates in intensity
4. Pain upon urinating
5. Pink, red, or brown urine
6. Cloudy or foul-smelling urine
7. Nausea and vomiting
8. The persistent need to urinate
9. Frequent urination
10. Fever and chills if an infection is present
11. Urinating small amounts of urine

The Unlucky 13 Risk Factors for Kidney Stones:

These risk factors are from compiled by Time Magazine:

1. Not Enough Calcium - Most kidney stones are made out of calcium, so it would seem that consuming too much could be problematic. On the contrary, people eating a low-calcium diet are more likely to develop kidney stones than those consuming more calcium.

It turns out that calcium in your digestive tract binds to chemicals called oxalates from your food, preventing them from entering your bloodstream and urinary tract where they may form kidney stones.

It is important to note that it is the calcium from foods that is beneficial – not calcium supplements, which have actually been found to increase your risk of kidney stones by 20%.

2. An Obsession with Leafy Greens - Leafy greens, particularly spinach, are high in oxalates. These chemicals bind with calcium and should be excreted via your urinary tract, but if their concentrations become elevated they can concentrate in your urine and form kidney stones.

Leafy greens are clearly among the healthiest foods you can eat, but if you struggle with kidney stones you might want to swap higher oxalate greens like spinach, for lower-oxalate options, like kale.

3. Too Much Processed Salt - Salt, particularly unprocessed natural varieties, has been unfairly targeted as a root source of chronic disease. However, excess sodium intake can increase the amount of calcium excreted by your kidneys, which in turn may increase your risk of kidney stones.

You needn’t shun a sprinkle of unprocessed salt added to your meals here and there. Rather, cut out the majority of processed foods in your diet, which is where most processed salt is hidden.

4. Too Little Citrus (and Veggies of All Kinds) - Citrus fruits contain citrate, a compound that may lower your risk of kidney stones. Simply adding a squirt of lemon or lime to your water may therefore be helpful, although you can also increase your intake of fruits and vegetables across the board.

One study found people who normally avoided produce could decrease levels of kidney-stone-causing chemicals in their urine by increasing their produce intake for one month. Eating plenty of vegetables helps ensure you’re getting enough magnesium, which is also beneficial.

Magnesium plays an important role in your body’s absorption and assimilation of calcium, as if you consume too much calcium without adequate magnesium, the excess calcium can actually become toxic and contribute to health conditions like kidney stones.

5. Too Much Iced Tea - Black tea is a rich source of oxalate, so overconsumption may increase your risk of stone formation. Earlier this year, the New England Journal of Medicine reported the case of one 56-year-old man who was drinking 16 eight-ounce glasses of iced tea daily. He was admitted to the hospital for kidney failure and was found to have “abundant calcium oxalate crystals” in his urine.

6. Drinking Soda - Drinking soda is associated with kidney stones, possibly because the phosphorus acid it contains acidifies your urine, which promotes stone formation. In addition, one South African study found that drinking soda exacerbates conditions in your urine that lead to formation of calcium oxalate kidney stone problems.

The sugar, including fructose (and high fructose corn syrup in soda), is also problematic. A diet high in sugar can set you up for kidney stones, since sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body by interfering with calcium and magnesium absorption.

The consumption of unhealthy sugars and soda by children is a large factor in why children as young as age 5 are now developing kidney stones. Sugar can also increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in your kidney, such as the formation of kidney stones.
In one study, those with kidney stones who eliminated soda from their diet lowered their risk of recurrence by about 15%.

7. Your Parents - If you have a family history of kidney stones, your risk is increased as well. It’s thought that the inability to efficiently absorb oxalate may be an inherited trait.

8. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) - If you have IBD, including Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, you’re at an increased risk of kidney stones. This could be because such conditions often cause diarrhea, which increases your risk of becoming dehydrated – a major risk factor for kidney stones.

9. Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) - Recurrent UTIs can be a sign of a kidney stone in some cases, as the stones may block the flow of urine, leading to UTIs. If you have frequent UTIs without a known cause, you should get checked out for kidney stones (it’s possible to have one and not know it).

10. Laxative Abuse - Overusing laxatives interferes with your body’s ability to absorb and utilize nutrients, and may lead to an electrolyte imbalance, increasing your risk of kidney stones. Laxative abuse can also cause dehydration, another kidney stone trigger.

11. Migraine Medication - The migraine medication topiramate (Topamax) increases the pH levels in your urinary tract, which may lead to an increased risk of kidney stones.

12. Obesity - Diet wise, women who ate more than 2,200 calories per day increased their risk of kidney stones by up to 42%, while obesity also raised the risk. It’s thought that excess weight may lead to changes in your urinary tract that promote the formation of kidney stones. For instance, altered urinary pH levels in people who are obese may increase the risk of uric acid forming kidney stones.

13. Weight Loss Surgery - It should be noted that even though obesity increases kidney stone risk, weight loss surgery that alters your digestive tract actually makes them more common. After weight loss surgery, levels of oxalate are typically much higher (oxalate is the most common type of kidney stone crystal).

What’s the Number One Risk Factor for Kidney Stones?

The number one risk factor for kidney stones is not drinking enough water. If you aren’t drinking enough, your urine will have higher concentrations of substances that can form stones.

Read More