Who says only calcium from milk that could provide health benefits? A study shows that men and women who eat foods rich in calcium have an increased risk of kidney stone 20 percent lower than those who ate fewer foods containing calcium.
“This discovery suggests that calcium has nothing to do with the formation of kidney stones,” said lead researcher Dr. Eric Taylor, a specialist in kidney stones at Maine Medical Center, Portland, as reported by Reuters (05/04).
Although most kidney stones formed in the kidneys are calcium oxalate, but one should not be afraid to eat foods rich in calcium. In contrast, a study found that eating foods rich in calcium, not calcium supplements, may reduce the formation of kidney stones.
Previous studies of calcium are too focused on dairy products, so the researchers suspect there is a substance in milk that can cause the formation of kidney stones. Researchers also looked at other forms of calcium, which is not derived from dairy products.
They analyzed data from three large studies that looked at a million men and women over a period of decades, including giving out questionnaires about their diets. Researchers divided the participants into five small groups based on the amount of calcium they consume both dairy and non-dairy products for 20 years. Only participants who have never had a kidney stone disease were included in the study.
As a result, people who consume a lot of calcium, either from dairy and non-dairy products tend to suffer a painful kidney stone. While the people in who do not consume a lot of calcium, the risk was 77 percent.
The result, for those who consume 150 milligrams of milk every day, they have an increased risk of kidney stone 30 percent higher than those who consume 800 to 900 milligrams of milk every day. Meanwhile, people who consume 250 milligrams of calcium each day doubled the risk of developing kidney stones compared with those who consumed 450 milligrams of non-dairy calcium every day.
The difference is not significant in most people, unless they have had kidney stones before, so the risk is greater. For people who have kidney stones or have a family history of having kidney stones, they should consult their doctors before consuming a lot of foods that contain calcium.
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