Calcium may help prevent kidney stones
Women can avoid painful condition with dietary changes, study finds
Updated: 4:04 p.m. ET April 26, 2004

Researchers disagree about which foods to avoid and which to eat to prevent kidney stones, but a study published Monday said a diet rich in calcium can help women avoid the painful condition.

Kidney stones, which afflict roughly one in 1,000 people in developed nations annually, most often are made up of calcium and salty crystals that come from oxalic acid, substances normally excreted in the urine. The stones can block the urinary tract or enter the bladder and are usually treated with ultrasound to pulverize them, though surgery is sometimes necessary.

Some doctors suggest patients with kidney stones go on low-calcium diets, but an analysis of the dietary habits and health of nearly 100,000 female nurses aged 27 to 44 found those who consumed more calcium in their diet reduced their risk of kidney stones.

The study also confirmed higher sugar intake increases the risk of kidney stones. Eating meat was not found to be a risk factor, contrary to previous research.

“This study also suggests that some dietary risk factors may differ by age and sex,” study author Gary Curhan of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Researchers also found a dietary ingredient called phytate, which is found in cold cereal, dark bread and beans, helped prevent kidney stones.

“Finally, dietary phytate may be a new, important, and safe addition to our options for stone prevention,” Curhan wrote.

Copyright 2004 Reuters Limited
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4837645/

But I thought phytates were bad for you.

Phytates are phosphorus compounds found primarily in cereal grains, legumes, and nuts. They bind with minerals such as iron, calcium, and zinc and interfere with their absorption in the body.