Eat a lot of sugar, prone to kidney stones

AN NHIEN (According to Daily Mail, MedicalXpress)

Foods high in sugar have long been proven to increase many health risks such as being overweight, obese, having diabetes, cardiovascular disease... Recently, Chinese scientists discovered that the more added sugar consumed in processed foods (such as cookies, cakes and soft drinks), the higher the risk of developing kidney stones.

Consuming too much sugar from processed foods is harmful to the body in many ways.

Kidney stones are known to affect 7-15% of the population in North America, 5-9% of the population in Europe and 1-5% of the population in Asia. Kidney stones are caused by waste products in the blood forming crystals. Over time, the crystals can accumulate into hard stones in the kidneys, causing severe pain and kidney infection if not treated properly. Common symptoms of kidney stones include severe pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills and blood in the urine. Kidney stones not only reduce the patient's quality of life, but in the long term can also lead to infection, kidney swelling (due to fluid retention), kidney failure and end-stage renal disease. Risk factors for developing kidney stones include obesity, chronic diarrhea, dehydration, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes or gout.

In a new study published in Frontiers in Nutrition, researchers at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sichuan North Medical University analyzed data from 28,300 people aged 20 and older, 10% of whom had a history of kidney stones, over 11 years. Participants self-reported their health and lifestyle habits, including diet, and underwent physical examinations as required.

Through multiple in-person and telephone interviews, researchers estimated each participant’s daily intake of added sugars based on their food and beverage consumption. For example, participants were asked specifically whether they consumed syrup, honey, dextrose, fructose, or pure sugar in the past 24 hours. In addition, each participant was assessed on the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015), a daily dietary summary score based on two main aspects: adequate intake of healthy ingredients (such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) and limited intake of unhealthy foods (such as refined grains, salt, and saturated fat).

After taking into account other risk factors for developing kidney stones (including gender, age, body mass index, smoking status, or diabetes), the researchers found that the proportion of energy intake from added sugars was strongly and consistently associated with the risk of kidney stones. Accordingly, participants whose added sugar intake was in the “highest quintile of sugar intake” had a 39% higher rate of developing kidney stones during the study period. Similarly, those who consumed more than a quarter of their total daily energy intake from added sugars had an 88% higher rate of kidney stone onset compared with those who consumed less than 5% of their total energy intake from added sugars.

While the exact mechanism by which high consumption of added sugars leads to a higher risk of developing kidney stones is not yet known, lead researcher Dr Shan Yin said this is the first study to show such a link. The findings also suggest that limiting the amount of added sugars in foods may help prevent the risk of kidney stones.

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