Can too calcium take cause kidney stones?

Most kidney stones are in calcium. About 85% of kidney stones contain the mineral and many people prone to stones have high levels of calcium in their urine.

It may not be a reason to throw your calcium supplements for the moment. Several food factors can play in the risk of renal stone, and obtaining the right amount of calcium can do more good than harm your kidneys.

How calcium and oxalate form stones

After the body treats food, waste is left behind and rinsed by the kidneys through urine. When it is not enough water moves in the kidneys, waste particles can stay together and crystallize in stones.

The most common type of stone is formed when calcium binds to oxalate, an anti -end that is found in plant foods. This can happen when oxalate or calcium levels in the urine are too high.

It is particularly common in people with idiopathic hypercalciuria, a condition marked by excessive calcium in urine despite a normal calcium intake. People with hyperparathyroidism also have high levels of blood calcium, which presents them at a greater risk of developing kidney stones.

For people without hypercalciuria, consumption too much calcium could increase the risk of forming stones. However, other factors, such as not drinking enough water or eating too much salt, are much more likely to increase this risk, explained Amy Yau, MD, nephrologist and clinical assistant professor of internal medicine at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Excess calcium is not the main cause of kidney stones

Some patients may be invited to take calcium supplements for bone or other reasons. If they get enough calcium from food sources, supplements could place them on the recommended daily supply from 1,000 to 1,300 milligrams, and excess can wash in the urine.

However, taking too much calcium is not a main reason why people develop kidney stones, said Melanie Betz, RD, dietitian and author of the Rénal dietitian blog.

“If you have renal calculations of calcium oxalate, you actually want to make sure you get enough Calcium, ”said Betz.

Obtain enough calcium reduces the risk of renal stone

Studies have shown that a low calcium diet is associated with a higher risk of forming kidney stones.

When you eat a lot of vegetables and fruit rich in oxalates, such as beets and almonds, you need enough calcium to bind to oxalates and excrete them through your stool. Otherwise, the oxalates are absorbed and excreted in the urine, where they can form stones.

“Make sure that you eat enough calcium is the most effective way to get Oxalate urine levels if they are even raised in the first place,” said Betz.

A diet rich in sodium is more likely to cause stones

Yau said that when she sees patients with calcium oxalate calculations, she first recommends reducing salt rather than calcium intake.

“The main reason for having a high calcium in the urine is actually not to eat too much calcium or calcium supplements-it is actually to eat too much salt,” she said.

When you eat moderate quantities of salt, your body keeps this sodium and reabsorb calcium with it. But too much salt will force your kidneys to wash both in the urine, where calcium can crystallize in stones, explained Yau.

Staying well hydrated can also help eliminate calcium and oxalates before being able to bond in the kidneys.

Food -based calcium is better than supplements

The body can more easily keep and use calcium when consumed by food rather than in supplements.

“As a company, we are so quick to go to supplements. It is almost as if we forget that you can get nutrition of food, and several times it is one of them, it’s actually better,” said Betz.

Dairy products may be the best food source of calcium because the body absorbs it well. Foods based on calcium -rich plants, such as fortified almond milk and leafy green vegetables, often contain oxalates, which limit the absorption of calcium.

However, Betz says not to avoid oxalates. Following a strict to low oxalate diet means that you can miss potassium, magnesium, phytate and fibers, which reduces the risk of kidney stones.

There are cases where to take a supplement is logical. People who have undergone gastric bridging surgeries or who suffer from Crohn’s disease and other digestive diseases tend to easily absorb oxalate, which increases their risk of developing stones. These patients can benefit from taking a calcium supplement to help bind to these oxalates and reduce their stone risk.