Protein and kidney stones

klamond1
klamond1 Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I’m trying to keep, gain muscle while losing weight. I know I need a higher level of protein to do that. My issue is, I’m susceptible to kidney stones and have had several over the years, as recently as March. I need ideas or information on how I can increase protein without increasing the chance of stones.

Replies

  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,374 Member
    First, you need to know what type of kidney stones you develop... there are 4 kinds and none of the 4 kinds are caused by protein intake. The most common stone formation in the US is the calcium oxalate stone, caused when oxalates (most common in spinach and chocolate in the American diet) combines with calcium in the kidney.

    Probably the best thing that you can do to prevent stones, regardless of how they are formed is to stay hydrated! I have had several occurrences of stones, and every time they have happened was when I wasn't keeping up with my liquid intake.
  • klamond1
    klamond1 Posts: 6 Member
    Thank you, yes they have all been calcium. Over the last 10 years I’ve had surgery, both laser and sound 3 times. In June after I started really working out again and pounding down water I passed 14 of various sizes up to 5mm. The biggest was in January that they lasered, it was 15mm, and yes I know how big that is. I read many articles that mention high protein but, I don’t know if that’s true. I agree on the high water intake, hopefully your right.
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,374 Member
    Knock on wood - I haven't had a stone in several years and and the only consistent thing in my diet thru those years has been to stay hydrated. I regularly eat 150+ grams of protein a day and don't have issues.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,223 Member
    Yeah, I agree oxalates are to be reduced and they tend to bind with calcium. Stay hydrated and reduce your salt if it's on the high side.

    A decent list of foods and beverages high in oxalates.
    https://nutritionadvance.com/high-oxalate-foods/
  • tonypabonsmb
    tonypabonsmb Posts: 1 Member
    Thanks
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    edited April 2023
    This content has been removed.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    High amounts of protein can cause kidney stones (it's not the protein making the stones) in that high levels of animal protein boosts uric acid levels which can lead to kidney stones. A high protein diet also reduces the level of urinary citrate which is a chemical that helps prevent stones from forming.

    IMO, a lot of the protein numbers thrown around the last five years or so are pretty over the top for the general population...so the good news would be that you can still build muscle with a more moderate protein intake. I've had zero problem with that. Now if you want to be a stage ready bodybuilder, that might be another matter...but just being fit, preserving muscle mass and building a bit of muscle mass doesn't take a gazillion grams of protein.

    My mom has recently had to go through this with now two bouts of shockwave lithotripsy to break up the stones because they were too large to pass. She still eats a fair amount of protein but also much more moderately than she was before when she was having 3x protein shakes a day along with meat, meat, and more meat all of the time. Her uric acid levels are way down now and hopefully she won't have to deal with this again. She also has to watch how much spinach, kale, etc that she's eating. She's no worse for the wear eating a more moderate (and realistic) level of protein.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,331 Member
    ccrdragon wrote: »
    First, you need to know what type of kidney stones you develop... there are 4 kinds and none of the 4 kinds are caused by protein intake. The most common stone formation in the US is the calcium oxalate stone, caused when oxalates (most common in spinach and chocolate in the American diet) combines with calcium in the kidney.

    Probably the best thing that you can do to prevent stones, regardless of how they are formed is to stay hydrated! I have had several occurrences of stones, and every time they have happened was when I wasn't keeping up with my liquid intake.

    This is what I was going to say. Drinking a lot will help flush them. I would not particularly recommend cutting back oxalate containing foods because they tend to be excellent nutritional sources. However, with your extreme number of kidney stones, it might be something to consider.

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