Mineral Water and Kidney Stones

Kidney stones is a painful condition where there are calcium deposits in the kidney. These deposits vary in their size and shape. This condition can be spurred on by a number of factors, like electrolyte imbalance, hormonal imbalance, excess of calcium in the body, etc. There are many ways of dealing with and preventing the formation of kidney stones. One such way is by drinking a lot of water. This is because by drinking water, there is more of urine formation and thus, there are higher chances of the kidney stones getting flushed out. However, to derive maximum benefit of drinking water, one should drink mineral water. Kidney stones can actually be prevented by drinking mineral water, although common belief is of the contrary. Given below are details regarding the composition of mineral water and how drinking it helps in passing kidney stones.

What is Mineral Water?
Mineral water is water that is either artificially treated with minerals or naturally contains minerals. Some forms of mineral water is also carbonated. To decide whether the water is mineral water or not, a person is supposed to evaporate a liter of water. Mineral water normally contains more than one trace mineral in either greater or lesser values. Mineral water contains many substances that make it differ from ordinary tap water. These elements primarily include calcium, magnesium, sulfate and iron. Besides these four minerals, this water also contains sodium, zinc, potassium and chloride.

Does Mineral Water Lead to Kidney Stones?
Many people have the misconception that kidney stones are caused by, or are aggravated by, drinking too much mineral water. Kidney stones are made up of minerals, and mostly contain calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate. However, it is not true that kidney stones are caused due to mineral water. Kidney stones contain primarily calcium, which is found in relatively trace amounts in mineral water.

Furthermore, researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany investigated mineral water health benefits in terms of reducing the risk of formation of kidney stones in the body. The results of this small clinical trial were published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, revealed that the magnesium and calcium content in mineral water improved urinary pH output as well as oxalate excretion, two important factors that reduce the risk of developing calcium oxalate kidney stones. Another study that was conducted in South Africa found that mineral water containing calcium and magnesium deserves to be considered as a possible therapeutic or prophylactic agent in calcium oxalate kidney stone disease. Thus, drinking mineral water actually minimized the risk of formation or growth of kidney stones in these subjects.

Also, potassium, like magnesium, is essential for the proper utilization of calcium (which is the main element present in kidney stones). So, potassium deficiency may lead to an increased risk of developing not only kidney stones, but also high blood pressure, as well as compromised bone density due to increased amounts of calcium being eliminated through the urine.

When a person is asked to follow a kidney stones diet, he is encouraged to increase his intake of potassium and magnesium in the diet, as these compete with calcium for absorption. Thus, the presence of magnesium and potassium decreases the chances of formation of calcium and uric acid crystals in the body, thus, preventing kidney stone formation.

This was all about the prevention of kidney stones by drinking mineral water. Kidney stones treatment will consist of trying out conservative methods like drinking mineral water and making certain lifestyle changes, before going on to more invasive methods like surgery.