Kidney stones are more painful than giving birth! How can I “stay away”

Anyone who has experienced kidney stones knows how painful it is! The pain may be as severe as childbirth. So, how can we prevent kidney stones? Here are a few tips to help you:

1. Drink more water

Kidney stones are usually composed of calcium and either phosphate or oxalate. Minerals are absorbed from food and usually excreted in the urine. When urine becomes too concentrated, these minerals can crystallize and form stones. Drinking plenty of water can keep your urine dilute and prevent the formation of kidney stones.

2. Exercise

According to a study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, moderate exercise can reduce your risk of kidney stones by more than 33%. Spending just three hours a week walking or one hour jogging can change your body's ability to process minerals in your diet, thereby reducing your risk of kidney stone formation.

3. Increase calcium intake

Because kidney stones are often formed from calcium, doctors used to believe that avoiding this mineral could prevent them. Now they know that the opposite is true: Dietary calcium can actually prevent kidney stone formation by binding to oxalate in the intestines and blocking it from reaching the kidneys.

4. Drink coffee in moderation

Drinking at least one cup of coffee or caffeinated beverage a day was associated with a 26% lower risk of kidney stones, while drinking at least one cup of decaffeinated coffee was associated with a 16% lower risk, and drinking tea was associated with an 11% lower risk.

5. Beware of metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a serious condition that has been linked to heart attacks, diabetes and even death. If you have metabolic syndrome, you will have at least three of the following symptoms: excess abdominal fat, high triglyceride levels, low LDL (good cholesterol), high blood pressure, and impaired glucose tolerance. If you have two of the symptoms mentioned above, your chances of developing kidney stones increase by 54%, and if you have three symptoms, your chances of developing kidney stones increase by 70%.

6. Reduce protein intake appropriately

Excessive dietary protein can create an ideal environment for kidney stones to flourish, and minimizing meat intake is necessary for people at high risk for kidney stones.

7. Drink more soda

The pH value of ordinary soda water is 7.5-9.0, which is weakly alkaline. Drinking it can effectively prevent excessive acid in the body and prevent the formation of kidney stones.