Calcium in the kidneys, known as calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate kidney stones, is formed due to the accumulation of minerals and salts in urine. This happens when there is an imbalance between soluble substances and substances which can crystallize, and can be caused by a number of factors.
What are calcium stones and how do they form?
Calcium stones are the most common type of kidney stone. Kidney stones are solid masses of minerals and other substances that form in the kidneys. These crystals are made of oxalate or phosphate combined with calcium. Having too much oxalate or phosphate, or too little urine, can cause these substances to crystallize and clump together into stones.
Oxalate is a natural substance found in many foods in our diet, including spinach and other green, leafy vegetables, chocolate, french fries and soy products, tea and strawberries. When you eat these food, your body breaks them down and absorbs the nutrients. The leftover waste travels through the bloodstream to the kidneys and is removed through urine. If there is too much waste in too little urine, crystals can begin to form – it is when this crystals clump together that a solid mass (kidney stone) can be formed.
How bad are they?
Small stones may pass on their own without treatment in a few weeks, which can be helped by drinking more water. You might also be prescribed drugs that relax your ureter to help the stone pass from your kidney more quickly, while pain medications such as ibuprofen (Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) can help relieve discomfort in the meantime. If the stone is very large, you might need to go trough a procedure to extract it..
What can cause calcium kidney stones?
Certain factors can cause your body to form more kidney stones, including:
A diet too high in protein, oxalate, sodium or sugar
Obesity and diabetes
Certain underlying medical conditions such as hyperparathyroidism (a very high amount of hyperparathyroid hormone in the blood that causes a loss of calcium)
Digestive diseases such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBS), Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease. Kidney stones are common if you have Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome (IBS), as it affects your body’s ability to absorb fats properly. When fat is not absorbed the way it should, it binds to calcium – leaving oxalate behind which is then absorbed and taken to the kidney, potentially forming stones.
How can I prevent getting kidney stones?
Kidney stones can be very painful and can also cause complications such as urinary tract infections, but they can often be prevented with a few dietary changes:
Drink enough water. This is the most important thing you can do, as drinking water will thin out your urine and make it harder for chemicals to build up and form crystals.
Avoid eating too much animal protein. Protein is essential to a healthy diet, but eating too much red meat and other animal protein such as eggs and seafood can cause crystals to form, as well as rise uric acid levels.
Eat less salt. Too much salt (sodium) causes calcium to build in your urine, which can lead to stones as well as weaken your bones.
Include the right amount of calcium in your diet. Opposite to popular belief, avoiding calcium altogether won’t keep stones from forming. You need to eat calcium (from foods like milk and cheese) so that it can bind to oxalate in the stomach and intestines before it moves to the kidneys, so eating calcium is a good way to help oxalates leave the body and not form stones.
Avoid taking vitamin C supplements. Vitamin C may cause high amounts of oxalate in the urine.
Cut down on oxalate-rich foods. These include nuts, chocolate, beets, brans, miso, sesame seeds and rhubarb.
Keep a healthy weight. Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are linked to a higher risk of kidney stones.