Increasing Kidney Stone Cases
The prevalence of kidney stones has been rising in the United States over the last three decades. The lifetime risk of kidney stones is now approximately 19 percent in men and 9 percent in women, reports the Foundation.
Possible causes include drinking too little water, exercise , obesity, weight loss surgery, or eating food with too much salt or sugar, reports the Foundation. Infections and family history can also lead to kidney stones.
Once you have developed a first stone, as many as 50 percent of people are at risk of developing another stone within five years, said Chi. Amazingly, we have not had a new medication for the prevention of kidney stones in more than 25 years, and the medications that we do have arent completely effective.
The senior author is , MD, a professor in the UCSF School of Medicine in the Department of Urology. From UCSF, co-authors include Pankaj Kapahi, PhD, and David Killilea, PhD, of the Department of Urology Katia Bruckner, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of Cell/Tissue Biology and Anatomy and professor emeritus Arnold Kahn, PhD.
The work was funded by grants from the American Federation for Aging Research, the California Urology Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. The research was also supported in part by a grant from the American Urological Association Foundation Research Scholars Program and the Endourgological Society.
Can Taking A Lot Of Supplements Really Damage The Kidneys
The effect of supplements on kidney health depends, in part, on an individual’s underlying health issues, and which supplements are taken. However, there are reports of certain supplements causing kidney problems. A 2012 review of supplement-induced kidney dysfunction lists 15 herbs and supplements reported to have caused kidney problems, including chromium, creatine, licorice, willow bark, vitamin C and yohimbe.
Taking high doses of vitamin C , for example, has been associated with an increased risk of kidney stones, especially in people with a history of kidney stones . Supplementation with cranberry tablets may pose a similar risk in people with a history of kidney stones.
In diabetes patients with advanced kidney disease, high daily doses of B vitamins were found in one study to worsen kidney function and double the risk of heart attack stroke and death .
If you are on an immunosuppressive drug, taking very large amounts of turmeric/curcumin may lead to kidney damage — possibly due to reduced metabolism of the drug).
Minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus also have the potential to affect kidney function.
Heavy metal contamination from supplements is another potential cause of kidney problems. Long-term exposure to excessive cadmium , for example, can cause irreversible kidney damage and may also weaken bones.
Follow
Research Links High Zinc Levels Kidney Stones
- Date:
- UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
- Summary:
- A new study into the causes of kidney stones has revealed that high levels of zinc in the body may contribute to kidney stone formation. Kidney stones are hard, often jagged masses of crystalized minerals that form in the kidney. Some kidney stones are very small and pass through the body without even being noticed. Larger stones may get stuck in the urinary tract, however, causing severe pain and blood in the urine.
David Killilea, PhD, a staff scientist at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute — the research arm of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland — co-authored a study into the causes of kidney stones. The study was conducted by the University of California, San Francisco , in collaboration with the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Marin County and CHORI. Published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, the study revealed that high levels of zinc in the body may contribute to kidney stone formation.
Kidney stones are hard, often jagged masses of crystalized minerals that form in the kidney. Some kidney stones are very small and pass through the body without even being noticed. Larger stones may get stuck in the urinary tract, however, causing severe pain and blood in the urine.
The first step was to recognize what others had taken for granted.
Story Source:
You May Like: What Laxative Is Safe For Kidneys
Magnesium In The Body
Some of the major roles of magnesium in your body include helping manage nerve and muscle function, ensuring appropriate bone growth, regulating energy production and protein synthesis, and easing nausea and constipation. Magnesium deficiency is rare in most healthy people. If your intake of magnesium is low, your kidneys help keep your body from getting rid of too much magnesium. However, magnesium levels may be deficient if your dietary intake is poor, if you have alcoholism or a malabsorptive disorder, or use certain medications. Foods such as nuts, seeds, whole-grains and green leafy vegetables are good sources of magnesium.
- Some of the major roles of magnesium in your body include helping manage nerve and muscle function, ensuring appropriate bone growth, regulating energy production and protein synthesis, and easing nausea and constipation.
What Are The Symptoms Of Zinc Deficiency
Symptoms of zinc deficiency depend on how deficient you are. Symptoms may be mild if the zinc level is just a little low, but can be very severe if there is severe deficiency. Symptoms can include:
- Not wanting to eat.
- Indigestion.
- Tiredness.
Never take more than the recommended amount, due to the risks of excess zinc, as described above.
Also Check: Symptoms Of Kidney Problems In Females
How To Take It
You should take zinc with water or juice. If zinc causes stomach upset, it can be taken with meals. Don’t take zinc at the same time as iron or calcium supplements.
A strong relationship exists between zinc and copper. Too much of one can cause a deficiency in the other. If you take zinc, including zinc in a multivitamin, you should also take copper.
Do not give zinc supplements to a child without talking to your doctor.
Daily intake of dietary zinc are listed below:
Pediatric
- Infants birth – 6 months: 2 mg
- Infants 7 – 12 months: 3 mg
- Children 1 – 3 years: 3 mg
- Children 4 – 8 years: 5 mg
- Children 9 – 13 years: 8 mg
- Boys 14 – 18 years: 11 mg
- Girls 14 – 18 years: 9 mg
Adult
- Men 19 years and older: 11 mg
- Women 19 years and older: 8 mg
- Pregnant women 14 – 18 years: 12 mg
- Pregnant women 19 years and older: 11 mg
- Breastfeeding women 14 – 18 years: 13 mg
- Breastfeeding women 19 years and older: 12 mg
You should not take high doses of zinc for more than a few days unless your doctor tells you to. Talk to your doctor before taking more than 40 mg of zinc per day and take breaks from zinc supplementation. During those breaks, get zinc from a well-balanced diet.
Is Almond Good Or Bad For Kidney Disease
Almonds can be good for a kidney disease patient but they may also have to be limited in certain renal diseases.
Almonds are one of the most popular nuts in the world. In India, almonds are believed to be healthy for the brain as it improves the memory. Almonds are also rich in minerals such as phosphorus and magnesium which are needed by the body for the development of bones.
Don’t Miss: What Is The Best Thing To Drink For Kidney Stones
Magnesium And Kidney Stones
Maintaining adequate magnesium levels may help prevent calcium oxalate kidney stones, the most common type. Calcium and magnesium competitively bind to oxalate. If calcium binds with oxalate, the crystals formed may lead to the formation of stones. However, if magnesium binds to oxalate, the crystals formed are more soluble and will likely not lead to stone formation. In most people the ratio of calcium and magnesium is appropriate to prevent calcium oxalate stone formation. In populations deficient in magnesium or more prone to stone formation, additional dietary or supplemental magnesium intake, along with other measures in kidney stone prevention, such as:
- adequate fluid
- may be beneficial
- Maintaining adequate magnesium levels may help prevent calcium oxalate kidney stones, the most common type.
- However, if magnesium binds to oxalate, the crystals formed are more soluble and will likely not lead to stone formation.
Megadosing Vitamin C May Injure Kidneys
The megavitamin movement of the 1970s suggested that taking large doses of common vitamins would benefit health. Unfortunately, the alleged benefits may come at a price. A November 2017 update in GeneReviews states that megadosing vitamin C may lead to kidney failure. Surprisingly, even juicing with certain fruits and vegetables may cause this damage.
Many Americans use nutritional supplements to improve their health. As with vitamins, using these dietary aids increases the risk of organ damage. In fact, 1 in 12 people in the U.S. take supplements known to cause kidney damage, according to a March 15 report in the American Journal of Public Health.
Despite these risks, the Food and Drug Administration continues to leave nutritional supplements unregulated. Thus, people must take the initiative and educate themselves about the potential benefits and risks of dietary aids.
A September 2017 review in Food and Chemical Toxicology offers a starting point. This article provides a brief summary of kidney-damaging supplements. The authors suggest avoiding such dietary aids and specifically recommend avoiding excess doses of vitamins A, C and D.
Recommended Reading: Can You Have 4 Kidneys
Zinc Deficiency Excess And Supplementation
Zinc is needed for many of the chemical reactions which are going on inside us all the time at micro-level. We get zinc from our diets but not getting enough can cause a wide variety of symptoms, some of which are very vague.
In this article
Zinc Deficiency, Excess and Supplementation
In this article
Promotes Good Heart Health
Eating nuts has been associated with lowered heart problems because they are rich sources of good fats or Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids can help lower LDL cholesterol in the body. LDL cholesterol is more popularly known as bad cholesterol.
It contributes to a process called atherosclerosis, wherein the bad cholesterol causes plaque to build up making it hard for blood to pass through the arteries, leading to heart diseases.
You May Like: Is Honey Good For Kidney
Foods Which Are Worst For Kidneys
As our kidneys filter out toxins and excess acid from the blood, they also put a buffer or acid neutralizer back into the bloodstream in the form of bicarbonate. Here are foods bad for kidneys
This shows how crucial it is for your system to be alkaline, and its also why the kidneys get overworked when, for example, you take a lot of medications and/or eat an acid-forming diet.
And just as there are certain foods that help cleanse and alkalize the body and ease the load on the kidneys, there are foods bad for kidneys that are not only acidic, but actually damage these important organs.
In fact, regularly eating a lot of unhealthy foods bad for kidneys can increase the strain on your kidneys and even damage structures within your kidneys over time.
Even if you have kidney disease, you can benefit from improving your diet and lifestyle as well as looking after your health the way your doctor advises. You can continue to live productively for years without any major complications. Here are foods bad for kidneys.
Why Do I Need Different Amounts Of Vitamins And Minerals
Having chronic kidney disease changes your need for some nutrients. Some of the reasons are:
- The waste products that build up in your body each day can change the way your body uses vitamins and minerals.
- Some of the medicines you take can change the way your body uses certain vitamins and minerals.
- Some vitamins are lost during dialysis treatment if you are on dialysis.
- Following a special diet for chronic kidney disease can mean you miss certain vitamins and minerals from foods.
- On days when you may not feel well enough to eat regular meals, you may not get enough daily vitamins and minerals.
Recommended Reading: What Laxative Is Safe For Kidneys
What Food Items Should You Limit In Kidney Disease
Many food items that are part of a typical healthy diet may not be right for you if youre suffering from kidney disease. If you are diagnosed with kidney disease, your doctor may recommend limiting certain food items such as
Depending upon the stage of your kidney disease, your doctor will advise you to reduce the potassium, phosphorus and protein levels in your diet.
Dont Miss: Is Mulberry Good For Kidneys
Vitamin Cocktails May Injure Kidneys
Athletes seeking a competitive edge may turn to performance-enhancing substances, but people using these chemicals often experience tragic results.
A January 2017 review in Nefrologia described 16 cases of vitamin cocktail abuse by body sculptors.
These people injected a veterinary product with a mix of vitamins A, D and E, and all ended up in the hospital with acute kidney injury. Doctors restored kidney function in some, but not all, cases.
Vitamin cocktails can also increase the risk of vitamin-drug interactions. For example, a December 2014 report in Nutrition Research Reviews describes how vitamin E alters the effects of common medicines like cyclosporine A, warfarin and aspirin.
People with diabetes who have kidney damage may seek to restore their health by taking vitamin D, and researchers have shown that vitamin D may help hide diabetic symptoms. An August 2017 paper published in Drug Development Research showed that this nutrient increased insulin sensitivity in an animal model of diabetes, but unfortunately, the vitamin D administered also caused kidney damage.
Such a result is not surprising. Scientists classify vitamin D as a fat-soluble vitamin. It can, therefore, accumulate in the body and cause hypervitaminosis.
Read More: How Does Diabetes Occur?
Don’t Miss: Kidney Pain Std
Zinc Supplementation And Human Ald
There have been multiple studies showing that zinc supplementation reverses known manifestations of zinc deficiency in ALD, such as impaired night vision, skin lesions, and, in some cases, encephalopathy and immune dysfunction. Studies have been performed to determine the duration and amounts of zinc necessary to improve serum and hepatic zinc in patients with ALD. Alcoholic patients without cirrhosis received zinc sulfate at 600 mg/d for 10 days and alcoholic cirrhotics for 10, 30, and 60 days. Serum zinc concentrations increased to normal values in all groups of patients during 10 days to 2 months of zinc supplementation. Zinc concentrations in the liver biopsies were significantly increased in patients with cirrhosis after zinc supplementation for 10 and 60 days, but some patients remained under normal values, particularly those with cirrhosis. No adverse reactions of zinc supplementation were observed in this short-term study.
What Are The Causes Of Zinc Deficiency
A poor diet can cause zinc deficiency. So it is more common in malnourished children and adults and in people who are unable to eat a normal diet due to circumstances or illness. Lots of zinc intake is from meat and seafood, so vegetarians may be more prone to deficiency. The greater demand caused by pregnancy and breastfeeding may also cause zinc deficiency.
Problems with the guts can lead to problems absorbing zinc. This includes gut conditions such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and coeliac disease, and conditions where there is persisting diarrhoea.
People who drink excessive alcohol can also not absorb zinc normally. Long-term illnesses, such as chronic liver or kidney disease can also result in low absorption of zinc. High-dose iron supplements can also affect the way zinc is absorbed, leading to deficiency.
A rare inherited condition called acrodermatitis enteropathica is an occasional cause of zinc deficiency. In this condition, there is an absence of a transport protein which normally allows zinc absorption, resulting in severe deficiency. Where this is the case, symptoms begin soon after a baby is weaned off breast milk. A typical rash is often the first symptom.
Recommended Reading: What Is The Functional Unit Of The Kidneys
Toxicity Of Bitter Almonds
Bitter almonds contain toxic levels of hydrocyanic acid , which is a poisonous compound. Though bitter almonds help cure spasms, itch, and pain, overconsumption of these could lead to serious conditions. Some of them include nervous breakdown, choking, and death. It is strictly not recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women.56
What Does The Department Of Health And Social Care Advise
You should be able to get the amount of beta-carotene you need by eating a varied and balanced diet.
If you decide to take beta-carotene supplements, it’s important not to take too much as this could be harmful.
Do not take more than 7mg of beta-carotene supplements a day unless advised to by a doctor.
People who smoke or who have been exposed to asbestos are advised not to take any beta-carotene supplements.
Recommended Reading: What Std Messes With Your Kidneys
Which Vitamins Do I Need To Avoid If I Have Kidney Disease
You may need to avoid some vitamins and minerals if you have kidney disease. Some of these include vitamins A, E and K. These vitamins are more likely to build up in your body and can cause harm if you have too much. Over time, they can cause dizziness, nausea, and even death. You should only take these vitamins if your healthcare professional gives you a prescription for them. There is also some concern about vitamin C. Although some people may need to take a low dose of vitamin C, large doses may cause a buildup of oxalate in people with kidney disease. Oxalate may stay in the bones and soft tissue, which can cause pain and other issues over time.