About 1 in 10 people get a kidney stone at some point, and once you’ve had one, there’s roughly a 50% chance of another within 5 to 10 years. The good news is that a few everyday habits lower that risk a lot.
What are kidney stones?
Kidney stones are hard deposits that form when minerals in your urine become too concentrated and crystallize. Most are calcium oxalate stones. Others are made of uric acid, calcium phosphate or, less often, struvite or cystine. Knowing your stone type helps your doctor tailor advice, so ask for any stone you pass to be tested.
1. Drink enough water
This is the single most important step. Aim to drink enough to pass at least 2 to 2.5 liters (around 8 to 10 cups) of urine a day, which for most people means drinking 2.5 to 3 liters of fluid. Your urine should be pale yellow. Drink more in hot weather or when you exercise.
2. Add some citrus
Citrate in lemons, limes and oranges helps stop stones from forming. Adding fresh lemon or lime juice to water is an easy habit. Avoid sugary lemonades and sodas, which can raise risk.
3. Cut back on salt
Salt makes your kidneys pass more calcium into the urine. Keep sodium under 2,300 mg a day by limiting processed foods, canned soups, takeaway meals and salty snacks.
4. Don’t cut out calcium
It sounds backwards, but eating enough calcium from food lowers the risk of calcium oxalate stones, because calcium binds oxalate in the gut before it reaches the kidneys. Have dairy or other calcium-rich foods with meals. Calcium supplements are different: take them only if advised, and with food.
5. Watch oxalate-rich foods if advised
If you’ve had calcium oxalate stones, your doctor may suggest limiting very high-oxalate foods such as spinach, rhubarb, nuts and nut butters, beets and black tea. Pairing them with a calcium-rich food helps too.
6. Moderate animal protein
Large amounts of red meat, poultry, eggs and seafood raise uric acid and lower urine citrate. Keeping portions moderate and eating more vegetables, fruit and beans helps.
7. Keep a healthy weight
Obesity and type 2 diabetes raise the risk of stones. Avoid crash diets, which can increase risk. See how to lose weight safely.
Medicines and herbal products
If you keep getting stones despite these changes, your doctor may test your blood and urine and prescribe a medicine matched to your stone type, such as a thiazide diuretic, potassium citrate or allopurinol.
Herbal products: Himalaya Cystone, available as tablets and syrup, is an Ayurvedic formula traditionally used to support urinary health. A few small studies suggest it may help, but the evidence isn’t strong enough to say it prevents or dissolves stones. If you try it, use it alongside the habits above and your doctor’s advice, never instead of medical care.
Symptoms of a kidney stone
- Severe pain in the side and back, below the ribs, which may spread to the lower belly or groin and come in waves
- Pain or burning when urinating
- Pink, red or brown urine
- Needing to urinate often, or passing only small amounts
- Nausea and vomiting
Get urgent medical help if you have pain with a fever or chills, pain so severe you can’t sit still, vomiting that stops you keeping fluids down, or you can’t pass urine. A stone with infection is an emergency.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best drink to prevent kidney stones?
Water is best. Water with fresh lemon or lime juice adds citrate, which also helps.
Does coffee cause kidney stones?
No. Studies link moderate coffee and tea drinking with a slightly lower risk, as long as you also drink plenty of water.
Can kidney stones come back?
Yes. Around half of people get another stone within 10 years, which is why prevention habits matter.
This article is for general information only and isn’t a substitute for advice from a doctor or pharmacist. Supplements are not evaluated by the FDA to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
