Stop kidney stones. (Quick Studies).Most people who get kidney stones Kidney Stones Definition Kidney stones are solid accumulations of material that form in the tubal system of the kidney. Kidney stones cause problems when they block the flow of urine through or out of the kidney. made of calcium oxalate (the most common kind) excrete excrete /ex·crete/ (eks-kret´) to throw off or eliminate by a normal discharge, such as waste matter. ex·crete v. To eliminate waste material from the body. too much calcium in their urine. So for years, doctors have told them to cut back on calcium. Now a new study has shown that that advice was wrong. Eating less animal protein and salt works far better. Over five years, 40 men who ate 50 grams of animal protein and 2,500 mg to 3,000 mg of sodium a day were half as likely to get another kidney stone kidney stone or renal calculus Mass of minerals and organic matter that may form in a kidney. Urine contains many salts in solution, and low fluid volume or high mineral concentration can cause these salts to precipitate and grow, forming stones. as 28 men who were told to eat no more than 400 milligrams of calcium. The lower-protein, lower-salt diet reduced both calcium and oxalate oxalate /ox·a·late/ (ok´sah-lat) any salt of oxalic acid. ox·a·late n. A salt or ester of oxalic acid. in the men's urine. In contrast, the lower-calcium diet reduced calcium, but increased oxalate (probably because there was too little calcium to bind the oxalate in the intestine). What to do: If you've had a kidney stone made of calcium oxalate and you excrete excess calcium, limit your protein from meat, seafood, poultry, and milk, cheese, and other dairy products to about 50 grams a day. (The U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance for protein is 50 grams, and that includes protein from breads, cereals, beans, and other plant foods. So the 50-gram limit on animal protein isn't exactly a low-protein diet low-protein diet Clinical nutrition A diet that provides < 1.5 g/kg/day of protein during growth periods, or less in adults; adults in renal failure should receive no < 0. .) And keep your sodium as close as possible to 2,400 mg a day (that's half what many Americans eat). N. Eng. J. Med. 346: 77, 124, 2002 |
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