What Causes Kidney Stones & How to Prevent Them

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Ow. To be clear, I didn't say kidney beans. Although, too many of those can spell belly trouble too. I'm talking about kidney stones, which can be excruciatingly painful, and every year more than half a million people in the United States end up in the emergency room because of them. Stick around to find out what causes kidney stones and what you can do to prevent them. Hey everyone, I'm Linda and I'm your guest host for this episode. If you never had a kidney stone don't think you're immune. One out of every 10 people will get one at some point in their life. And if you've had one let's just say once is enough. But don't worry, even famous people get kidney stones. Napoleon, Benjamin Franklin, and even William Shatner. Heck, even animals get kidney stones. Kidney stones form when certain chemicals become concentrated in the person's urine to form crystals. The crystals grow into larger masses which can make their way through the urinary tract. If the stone gets stuck somewhere and blocks the flow of urine, ouch. So what are the chemicals that form these crystals? One of the most common is oxalate, which can be found in many foods including beets, nuts, chocolate, and tea. When too much oxalate in the urine binds with calcium in the body, crystals begin to aggregate and form a stone. Too much phosphate in the urine from eating foods such as cheese, nuts, sardines, and yes kidney beans, can also cause stones. Similarly, when a person's pee contains too much uric acid, that can spell trouble. The body makes uric acid and expels it as a way of metabolising protein. So you might want to avoid a protein rich diet too. And researchers have recently exposed a new culprit, zinc. Researchers study kidney stone formation in fruit flies. That's right, fruit flies get kidney stones. The researchers found that pumping the fruitflies' diet full of zinc causes them to form more kidney stones. Now, they're looking to see if other metals can cause the same sorts of problems. So if you don't want to end up like a zinc loaded fruit fly, or even worse, William Shatner, the good news is that there are simple ways to avoid kidney stones. Drink plenty of water. Watch how much protein you eat. And think twice before popping too many zinc supplements, especially if kidney stones run in your family. To learn more about zinc's connection with kidney stones, check out the original article by Speaking of Chemistry's very own Matt Davenport, or watch that one Seinfeld episode. Remember, the one where Kramer gets a kidney stone? 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<a class="" href="https://www.britannica.com/science/uric-acid">uric acid</a> , <a class="" href="https://www.britannica.com/science/urinary-tract-obstruction">urinary tract obstruction</a> , <a class="" href="https://www.britannica.com/science/urine">urine</a> , <a class="" href="https://www.britannica.com/science/zinc">zinc</a> </span> </div> <hr class="my-30 col-100"> <h2 class="font-16 text-uppercase my-30">Transcript</h2> <div id ="transcript" class="lh-lg font-serif"> LINDA WANG: Kidney stones, just the sound of them makes my insides hurt. Ow. To be clear, I didn't say kidney beans. Although, too many of those can spell belly trouble too. I'm talking about kidney stones, which can be excruciatingly painful, and every year more than half a million people in the United States end up in the emergency room because of them. Stick around to find out what causes kidney stones and what you can do to prevent them. <br/><br/>Hey everyone, I'm Linda and I'm your guest host for this episode. If you never had a kidney stone don't think you're immune. One out of every 10 people will get one at some point in their life. And if you've had one let's just say once is enough. But don't worry, even famous people get kidney stones. Napoleon, Benjamin Franklin, and even William Shatner. Heck, even animals get kidney stones. <br/><br/>Kidney stones form when certain chemicals become concentrated in the person's urine to form crystals. The crystals grow into larger masses which can make their way through the urinary tract. If the stone gets stuck somewhere and blocks the flow of urine, ouch. So what are the chemicals that form these crystals? One of the most common is oxalate, which can be found in many foods including beets, nuts, chocolate, and tea. <br/><br/>When too much oxalate in the urine binds with calcium in the body, crystals begin to aggregate and form a stone. Too much phosphate in the urine from eating foods such as cheese, nuts, sardines, and yes kidney beans, can also cause stones. Similarly, when a person's pee contains too much uric acid, that can spell trouble. The body makes uric acid and expels it as a way of metabolising protein. So you might want to avoid a protein rich diet too. <br/><br/>And researchers have recently exposed a new culprit, zinc. Researchers study kidney stone formation in fruit flies. That's right, fruit flies get kidney stones. The researchers found that pumping the fruitflies' diet full of zinc causes them to form more kidney stones. Now, they're looking to see if other metals can cause the same sorts of problems. So if you don't want to end up like a zinc loaded fruit fly, or even worse, William Shatner, the good news is that there are simple ways to avoid kidney stones. <br/><br/>Drink plenty of water. Watch how much protein you eat. And think twice before popping too many zinc supplements, especially if kidney stones run in your family. <br/><br/>To learn more about zinc's connection with kidney stones, check out the original article by Speaking of Chemistry's very own Matt Davenport, or watch that one Seinfeld episode. Remember, the one where Kramer gets a kidney stone? 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What Causes Kidney Stones & How to Prevent Them | Britannica