Animal proteins and kidney stones - Medical News From Around World - Brief Article

Nutrition Health Review, Winter, 2002

ITALY--According to a new study, a diet low in animal protein may be an effective way to avoid recurrence of calcium oxalate kidney stones.

Researchers studied 120 men with recurrent stones and assigned half of the men to a diet of normal calcium intake with a reduction in animal protein and salt and the other half to a diet low in calcium. A low-calcium diet is traditionally recognized as a deterrent to the development of kidney stones.

After five years, only 12 of the men assigned to the low-protein diet experienced a relapse, in contrast to 23 of the men eating the low-calcium diet. A decrease in urinary calcium levels was present in both groups; however, excretion of urinary oxalate increased in those on the low-calcium diet, whereas excretion decreased in the group eating less salt and animal protein.

(Source: New England Journal of Med-icine, 2002;346:77-84.)