Here’s quick note to extend the material in my book on kidney health “The Waters Of Life”.
By coincidence a study was published the week after my report (Sept 2010). It showed that the blood pressure diet known as DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), was also good at preventing kidney stones!
The DASH diet is high in fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, and whole grains, and low in dairy fats, sweetened beverages and red or processed meats.
I doubt red meats are much of a factor but processed meats, which they always insist on grouping with red meats and so spoiling any conclusions about red meat, could certainly be. Any reduction in dairy products is a welcome health benefit too.
For this study, the researchers analyzed urine samples over a 24-hour period of 3,426 people with and without a history of kidney stones. Despite similar fluid intake, people who followed a DASH-style diet excreted more urine than those who didn’t follow the diet.
The higher urinary output may be partly due to the higher food water content in a DASH-style diet. It is generally accepted by knowledgeable nutritionists than so-called “water foods” are healthier than grains or meats.
The study also found that the urine of those on a DASH-style diet contained higher concentrations of citrate, an important inhibitor of calcium kidney stones.
The findings suggest that a DASH-style diet could help prevent kidney stones in people who have a history of developing them, the researchers said.
Well, you know what to do!
SOURCE: American Society of Nephrology, news release, Sept. 16, 2010