Along with medication to discourage the formation of kidney stones, sufferers are often encouraged to make dietary changes, among them drinking more citrus juices.
 |
| Orange juice |
Citrate in the fruit reduces the formation of calcium oxalate stones (the most common type) and lowers urine acidity, much like the kidney stone medication potassium citrate.
But not all juices have the same effect. Lemonade or diluted lemon juice is the usual recommendation for people with calcium stones.
But a study financed by the US National Institutes of Health in 2006 compared lemonade with orange juice in patients with calcium stones and found that three cups of orange juice a day — along with other standard dietary changes for kidney stone patients — did a better job of raising citrate levels and decreasing urine acidity than lemonade or distilled water.
Then there are cranberry and apple juices, which, according to studies are good for some stones and bad for others. Grapefruit juice, in contrast, raises the risk across the board.
(Courtesy New York Times) |
E-mail
