Kidney Stones - Other Treatments

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Juices. Other beverages have various effects, depending on the type of stone:

• Lemon Juice: Drinking one-half cup of pure lemon juice (enough to make eight glasses of lemonade) every day raises citrate levels in the urine, which might protect against calcium stones. (While orange juice also increases citrate levels, it does not lower calcium and it raises oxalate levels. Therefore, it is not recommended.)
• Cranberry and Apple Juice: Apple and cranberry juice contain oxalates, and both have been associated with a higher risk for calcium oxalate stones. Cranberry juice has properties that may increase the risk for both calcium oxalate and uric acid stones. On the other hand, cranberry juice helps prevent urinary tract infections, so it may be helpful for reducing the risk for struvite and brushite stones. (These stones are far less common, however.)
• Grapefruit Juice: A number of studies have found that drinking grapefruit juice might increase the risk for stones.

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Other Beverages and Their Effects on Stone Formation.

• Soft Drinks. Patients with stones should avoid cola drinks that contain phosphoric acid, because they can severely reduce citrate levels in the urine. However, citrus-based sodas (such as 7Up and Sprite) are high in citrate, which might help prevent stones from forming, particularly in patients with low citrate in their urine, or who have a tendency to form uric acid stones.
• Alcohol. Wine may protect against kidney stones. However, it is important to remember that beer and other alcoholic beverages also contain purines, which may increase the risk for the less common uric acid stones in susceptible people. Binge drinking increases uric acid and the risk for stones.
• Coffee and Tea. Some research has reported a lower risk for stones in people who drink tea and both regular and decaffeinated coffee.

Low-Salt and Low-Protein Diets

A low-sodium, low-to-moderate protein diet containing normal levels of calcium can help reduce the recurrence of stones compared to a low-calcium only diet.

Salt Restriction. Because salt intake increases the amount of calcium in urine, patients with calcium stones should limit their sodium intake to 2,300 mg (1,500 mg for people who are middle-aged and older) or less a day. Sodium may also increase levels of urate, the crystalline substance that can trigger the formation of recurrent calcium oxalate stones.