KIDNEY STONES (Renal Calculi) AND THEIR RELATION TO DIET

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KIDNEY STONES (Renal Calculi) AND THEIR RELATION TO DIET

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There are five types of kidney stones:

1. Calcium phosphate stones are common and easily dissolve in urine

acidified by Vitamin C.

2. Calcium oxalate stones are also common but they do not dissolve in acid

urine.

3. Magnesium ammonium phosphate (struvite stones) are much less common,

often appearing after an infection. They dissolve in vitamin C acidified

urine.

4. Uric acid stones result from a problem metabolizing purines (the chemical

base of adenine, xanthine, theobromine [in chocolate] and uric acid). They

may form in a condition such as gout.

5. Cystine stones result from a hereditary inability to reabsorb cystine.

Most children's stones are this type, and these are rare.

The Role of Vitamin C in Preventing and Dissolving Kidney Stones:

 

The very common calcium phosphate stone can only exist in a urinary tract

that is not acidic. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C's most common form) acidifies

the urine, thereby dissolving phosphate stones and preventing their formation.

Acidic urine will also dissolve magnesium ammonium phosphate stones, which

would otherwise require surgical removal. These are the same struvite stones

associated with urinary tract infections. Both the infection and the stone

are easily cured with vitamin C in large doses. BOTH are virtually 100%

preventable with daily consumption of much-greater-than-RDA amounts of ascorbic

acid. Think grams, not milligrams! A gorilla gets about 4,000 mg of vitamin

C a day in its natural diet. The US RDA for humans is only 60 mg. Someone

is wrong, and I don't think it's the gorillas.

The common calcium oxalate stone can form in an acidic urine whether one

takes vitamin C or not. However, if a person gets adequate quantities of

B-complex vitamins and magnesium, this type of stone does not form. Any common

B-complex supplement twice daily, plus about 400 milligrams of magnesium, is

usually adequate.

Ascorbate (the active ion in vitamin C) does increase the body's production

of oxalate. Yet, in practice, vitamin C does not increase oxalate stone

formation. Drs. Emanuel Cheraskin, Marshall Ringsdorf, Jr. and Emily Sisley

explain in The Vitamin C Connection (1983) that acidic urine or slightly

acidic

urine reduces the UNION of calcium and oxalate, reducing the possibility of

stones. " Vitamin C in the urine tends to bind calcium and decrease its free

form. This means less chance of calcium's separating out as calcium oxalate

(stones). " (page 213) Also, the diuretic effect of vitamin C reduces the static

conditions necessary for stone formation in general. Fast moving rivers

deposit little silt.

Furthermore, you can avoid excessive oxalates by not eating (much) rhubarb,

spinach, or chocolate. If a doctor thinks that a person is especially prone

to forming oxalate stones, that person should read the suggestions below

before abandoning the benefits of vitamin C.

Ways for ANYONE to reduce the risk of kidney stones:

1. Maximize fluid intake. Especially drink fruit and vegetable juices.

Orange, grape and carrot juices are high in citrates which inhibit both a

build up of uric acid and also stop calcium salts from forming. (Carper, J.

" Orange Juice May Prevent Kidney Stones, " Lancaster Intelligencer-Journal, Jan

5, 1994)

2. Control urine pH: acidic urine helps prevent urinary tract infections,

dissolves both phosphate and struvite stones, and will not cause oxalate

stones.

3. Eat your veggies: studies have shown that dietary oxalate is generally

not a significant factor in stone formation. I would go easy on rhubarb

and spinach, however.

4. Most kidney stones are compounds of calcium and most Americans are

calcium deficient. Instead of lowering calcium intake, reduce excess dietary

phosphorous by avoiding carbonated soft drinks, especially colas. Soft

drinks contain excessive quantities of phosphorous as phosphoric acid. This is

the same acid that has been used by dentists to etch tooth enamel before

applying sealant.

Remember that Americans get only about 500 mg of dietary calcium daily, and

the RDA is 800 to 1200 mg/day. Any nutritionist, doctor or text suggesting

calcium reduction is in serious error.

5. Take a magnesium supplement of AT LEAST the US RDA of 300-350 mg/day

(more may be desirable in order to maintain an ideal 1:2 balance of magnesium

to calcium)

6. Be certain to take a good B-complex vitamin supplement daily, which

contains pyridoxine (Vitamin B-6). B-6 deficiency produces kidney stones in

experimental animals. Remember:

* B-6 deficiency is very common in humans

* B-1 (thiamine) deficiency also is associated with stones (Hagler and

Herman, " Oxalate Metabolism, II " American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,

26:8,

882-889, August, 1973)

7. Additionally, low calcium may itself CAUSE calcium stones (L. H. Smith,

et al, " Medical Evaluation of Urolithiasis " Urological Clinics of North

America 1:2, 241-260, June 1974)

8. For uric acid/purine stones (gout), STOP EATING MEAT! Nutrition tables

and textbooks indicate meats as the major dietary purine source.

Naturopathic treatment adds juice fasts and eating sour cherries. Increased

Vitamin

C consumption helps by improving the urinary excretion of uric acid.

(Cheraskin, et al, 1983). Use buffered ascorbate " C " .

9. Persons with cystine stones (only 1% of all kidney stones) should follow

a low methionine diet and use buffered C.

10. Kidney stones are associated with high sugar intake, so eat less (or

no) added sugar (J. A. Thom, et al " The Influence of Refined Carbohydrate on

Urinary Calcium Excretion, " British Journal of Urology, 50:7, 459-464,

December, 1978)

11. Infections can cause conditions that favor stone formation, such as

overly concentrated urine (from fever sweating, vomiting or diarrhea).

Practice good preventive health care, and it will pay you back with interest.

REFERENCES:

Cheraskin, Ringsdorf Jr., and Sisley: The Vitamin C Connection, Harper and

Row, 1983

Pauling, Linus " Are Kidney Stones Associated with Vitamin C Intake? "

Today's Living, September, 1981

Pauling, Linus " Crystals in the Kidney, " Linus Pauling Institute

Newsletter, 1:11, Spring, 1981

Pauling, Linus How to Live Longer and Feel Better, Freeman, 1986

Copyright C 2005 and prior years Andrew W. Saul. From the books DOCTOR

YOURSELF and FIRE YOUR DOCTOR, available from Andrew Saul, 23 Greenridge

Crescent,

Hamlin, NY 14464 USA. .