Drink Lots of Water to Prevent Kidney Stones

People who face problem of kidney stones should drink lots of water to prevent further stone formation, says guidelines from the American College of Physicians. Water intake should be so much that people are able to produce 2 litres of urine daily.

Kidney stones are formed when urine contains so much of a kind of chemicals that they turn into solids and when urine lacks enough natural stone-preventing substances to stop solids from forming. About 80 percent of kidney stone is calcium.

It gets harder for the stones to form when plenty of water passes through the body. But sodas comprising phosphoric acid, which is mainly found in colas, increases the chance of second kidney stones.

According to Dr David Fleming, President of the American College of Physicians, when the amount of fluids a person takes is high, the chance of kidney stone formation reduces by as much as 50 percent. Increasing the amount of water intake poses no side effects and it is also very safe.

Water acts as the natural flush of the body for the stone to pass. Soda, fatty red meats and fast food can promote kidney stone formation.

Men face higher chance of kidney stone formation compared with women. In the United States, about 13 percent of men and 7 percent of women will get a kidney stone at some point in their lives. People who already had one kidney stone have chances of getting it again later.

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Certain steps to prevent stone formation include eating calcium-rich foods, decreasing sodium (salt) in the diet, checking the amount of animal protein and stone-forming foods such as beets, chocolate, spinach, rhubarb, tea and most nuts, which are rich in oxalate.

Source-Medindia