New research shows that lemonade is an effective way to prevent the development of new stones in people with kidney stones.
If you have ever suffered from kidney stones, you will not forget the sudden severe pain in your side. Some patients compare the pain to that of childbirth.
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How kidney stones form?
Kidney stones form when urine in the kidney becomes over-saturated with stone-forming salts, and when urine does not contain enough stone-preventing substances. One of these substances is citrate.
For people prone to stones, doctors often prescribe potassium citrate. It can be taken in pill or liquid form. But lemon juice is full of natural citrate.
When done in low – sugar or sugar – free lemonade, it was found that the lemon juice increases the amount of citrate in the urine to levels known to inhibit kidney stones. It doesn’t work as well as potassium citrate. However, for patients who prefer to avoid another drug, lemonade is an attractive alternative to eliminate and prevent kidney stones.
Benefits of lemonade to eliminate kidney stones.
Researcher found with colleagues that 12 kidney stone patients who had been in lemonade therapy for up to four years, they had a lower kidney stone load and kidney stones appeared at a slower rate than they did before starting lemonade therapy.
Kang says a large-scale clinical trial is needed to confirm these findings. None of the patients required medical intervention during a four-year treatment period.
How much lemonade is recommended?
Lemonade also does another thing that people prone to kidney stones need. It helps them pass a large amount of urine. To reduce kidney stones, you have to increase your fluid intake to urinate by 1.5 to 2 liters a day.
To make the lemonade, these researchers recommend mixing 1/2 cup of concentrated lemon juice with 7 cups of water. Sugar should be avoided, as the extra calories in sugary lemonade are too much for most people’s health.
Diet to avoid or eliminate kidney stones.
But lemonade alone is not the answer to kidney stones. It is just part of a kidney stone prevention diet.
- You must considerably reduce the amount of salt in the diet. Get rid of the salt shaker on the table. Use a potassium-based salt substitute.
- If you eat meat, you should eat smaller portions of meat and fish at each meal on your diet.
- Increase your fluid intake (water or vitamin water) that allow you to urinate 1.5 to 2 liters of urine a day.