Bust kidney stones with orange juice

Orange juice can help prevent the recurrence of kidney stones better than other citrus fruit, says a study.

A glass of orange juice a day, can keep the recurrence of kidney stones away, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Centre have discovered.

HT Image

According to the findings of the study, orange juice can help prevent the recurrence of kidney stones better than other citrus fruit juices such as lemonade.

The researchers said that although many people assume that all citrus fruit juices help prevent the formation of kidney stones, not all have the same effect.

If the recurrence of kidney stones has to be medically treated, it requires dietary and lifestyle changes as well as treatment such as the addition of potassium citrate, which has been shown to lower the rate of new stone formation in patients with kidney stones.

But since some patients can't tolerate potassium citrate because of gastrointestinal side effect, dietary sources of citrate such as orange juice may be considered as an alternative to pharmacological drugs.

"Orange juice could potentially play an important role in the management of kidney stone disease and may be considered an option for patients who are intolerant of potassium citrate,” Dr Clarita Odvina, study's lead author said.

Orange juice, researchers found, boosted the levels of citrate in the urine and reduced the crystallization of uric acid and calcium oxalate – the most frequently found ingredient in kidney stones.

But lemonade did not increase the levels of citrate, an important acid neutralizer and inhibitor of kidney stone formation.

"One reason might be the different constituents of various beverages," Dr Odvina said.