We often hear that we should favor certain waters to prevent kidney stones or to evacuate them more easily. Update with our nephrologist.
A kidney stone corresponds to “there precipitation of blood substances filtered in the kidney at the level of the tubules. This results in forming crystals in the kidney calyces“, immediately reminds Professor Guillaume Favre, nephrologist at Nice University Hospital. There is several types of kidney stones the most common of which are calcium stones and uric acid stones. Kidney stones affect younger and younger people and actually depend on diet. We often hear that it is necessary favor certain waters for prevention kidney stones or when you suffer from them. No way, replies our specialist. No water can prevent a kidney stone, this is a common misconception. Likewise, no water facilitates the evacuation of existing stones. In reality, “there amount of water drunk is much more important than the type of water. You should drink in quantities such that urine is translucent with each urination. This quantity of water allows dilute urine and avoid precipitation of crystals.”
Don’t jump on calcium-rich waters…
There are also traps to avoid falling into. “Very often people who have calcium stones, the most common form, have tendency not to drink water rich in calcium such as Hépar, Contrex or Courmailleur and avoid dairy products. However, the instruction in the case of calcium stones is to rrespect the recommended calcium intake (800 mg/day for an adult, 1000 mg/day for a postmenopausal woman and 1200 mg/day for a breastfeeding or pregnant woman).“In this case, the solution is found more in the plate than in the water bottle: it is appropriate to adopt a low salt diet (less than 9 grams of salt) and not too rich in protein to reduce the production of stones.
…nor on alkaline waters
Another trap to avoid: drink alkaline water (pH greater than 7) when we have uric acid stones – the 2nd most widespread type of calculation. Alkaline water contains sodium and may have adverse effects on blood pressure. For people who have risks of metabolic syndromes and heart attacks due to high blood pressure, “tap water is given with potassium citrate in the form of food supplements or compounded preparations made in pharmacies on medical prescription. In case of uric acid stones, it is recommended to also adopt a diet low in salt and protein to limit urinary acidity and uric acid excretion.