It bombards you every day from your newspapers, magazines, and neighbors - the latest, greatest health advice. But many times, following it may actually put you at more risk for health problems, including kidney stones.
Myth 1: A high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet is a healthy way to lose weight.
"This type of diet increases the propensity to develop kidney stones," says Dr. Chia-Ying Wang, a professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. "People may lose weight on this diet, but this study shows that this is not a healthy way to lose weight."
Wang should know. She and her colleagues recently finished an eight-week study that showed how a high-protein diet could increase your kidney stone risk. First, these meal plans typically call for plenty of meat, which may cause blood acid level to skyrocket.
Meanwhile, the diet may lower your urinary citrate levels by nearly 25 percent. Since citrate is a chemical that helps dissolve stones, this could be a disaster for your kidneys.
If you follow one of these popular plans, at least consider giving up some animal-based protein. Replace it with plant foods high in protein, like bulgur, barley, rice, and beans. Or better yet, talk with your doctor about a safer plan to lose weight.
Myth 2: Drinking eight glasses of water a day is an absolute must for everybody.
"After a 10-month search," Dr. Heinz Valtin reports, "I have not found a single scientific article that says we should drink eight glasses of water a day." This left Valtin, professor emeritus at Dartmouth Medical School, with a dramatic conclusion.
You don't need to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day - if you're a healthy adult in a temperate climate.
However, if you're prone to kidney stones, this may not include you. "Most doctors probably recommend eight glasses of water for kidney stones," Valtin says.
You may even want to drink as much as three to four quarts of water a day - more if you exercise or the weather is hot. The increased fluid will dilute your urine and wash away stone-building chemicals like acid and oxalate before they build up.
And unlike what you might have heard, soda, coffee, tea, and other caffeinated beverages count toward your eight-a-day total, Valtin claims.
Of course, before you drink a gallon of any liquid, get your doctor's opinion. Drinking too much of anything - including water - can be harmful.
Myth 3: Kidney stone sufferers should avoid calcium because it is a major stone ingredient.
True, calcium is a common ingredient in kidney stones. Yet, surprisingly eating foods high in calcium seems to prevent stones. Confused? Scientist's aren't.
They believe that dietary calcium binds with dietary oxalate while the two compounds are in your digestive system. Otherwise, they could become concentrated in your urine, crystallize, and grow into a stone.
So stock up on foods rich in calcium. These include low-fat dairy products, sardines, oysters, broccoli, black-eyed peas, peanuts, and turnip greens.
Be cautious with calcium supplements. Unlike food sources, this form of calcium might increase your risk of kidney stones.
