If you’ve ever experienced a kidney stone, you’ll know they’re something you want to avoid at ALL costs.
Turns out, quitting sugar might play an important role in reducing your risk!
First off, what is a kidney stone?
Your kidneys have the fun task of filtering all the extra stuff from your blood to be excreted as number ones.
Sometimes, the excess waste and toxins can clump together to form little stones in the kidneys. These can be as tiny as a grain of sand to as big as a golf ball.
As you can imagine, when a larger kidney stone decides to make an exit through your urinary tract, the pain can be excruciating.
How do you get them?
It’s kind of a case of different strokes for different folks. Around one in 10 Aussie blokes and one in 35 Aussie women will suffer them at some point, making them one of the most common urinary tract disorders.
Certain medical conditions can increase your risk, as can certain medications.
More often than not, they happen because of a build up of particular substances in the blood. Stuff like calcium, oxalate, cystine or uric acid.
So what’s sugar got to do with it?
Uric acid build up is the key issue here. Studies have shown excess fructose intake can increase the level of uric acid produced in the body, at the same time decreasing its excretion.
Essentially, it’s a two-for-one ticket to kidney stone hell.
“It is completely normal for SOME uric acid to occur in the body,” says dietitian and IQS expert Natalie Bourke.
“However, when it’s in excess, it becomes problematic. In addition to an increased risk of kidney stones, uric acid build up is also linked to gout and insulin resistance.”
If that’s not another reason to give up the rock candy!
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