Certain key ingredients of a diet designed to prevent high blood pressure can ward off kidney stones, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology. The results suggest how low-fat dairy products and/or plants may have potent kidney stone-fighting properties.
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet -- which is high in fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, dairy products, and whole grains and is low in sweetened beverages and red and processed meats -- effectively lowers blood pressure. Research by Eric Taylor, M.D. (Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Maine Medical Center) and his colleagues also now suggests that a DASH-style diet reduces one's risk of developing kidney stones.
The investigators studied 24-hour urine samples of 3,426 individuals with and without a history of kidney stones in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) and the Nurses' Health Studies I and II. The study participants were part of a previous, larger study where Taylor reported that a DASH-style diet was associated with a reduced risk of kidney stone formation. HPFS and NHS I and II are large studies of the lifestyle practices and health of both male and female health care workers.
