DOES DIET/NUTRITION HELP PREVENT KIDNEY STONES?

Perhaps the most important part of kidney stone treatment is to determine why a stone develops. There’s an old saying in urology: “Once a stone former, always a stone former.” It means that, if you make one stone, you’re always at risk for making new ones in the future. While we can’t guarantee that you’ll remain stone free after treatment for a kidney stone, there is a lot that we can do to decrease the risk of new ones.

Stones develop for a variety of reasons. About 80% of stones contain calcium. Uric acid stones are the second most common. Magnesium, phosphate and cysteine are seen in a small number of stone formers.

There’s also a familial incidence of stones – if your parents, brothers or sisters have made stones you are at increased risk of making them too!

At Pacific Coast Urology Medical Center, we take a comprehensive approach to stone treatment. Our philosophy is that we’re here to not only eliminate a stone that is bothering you; our goal is to prevent future ones.
We’ll identify your risk factors. Some of the more common ones are:

Fluid intake – Inadequate liquid consumption is the #1 cause of kidney stones. The average patient should drink enough to urinate between 2000 – 2500 cc of liquid every day. As long as there are no medical reasons preventing you from drinking a lot, that should be your goal. Obviously, you have to drink more on hot days or when you are physically active.




Diet – Excessive consumption of dairy products, certain vegetables, nuts, cola, protein and chocolate are just a few of the many dietary factors that can influence stone formation. Salt restriction can also help some patients. BUT DON’T CHANGE YOUR DIET JUST BECAUSE YOU READ THIS! It’s important to have a specialized urine test to see if diet is a factor.



Medications – Some medications can cause, as a side effect, an increased risk of kidney stone formation.

Certain medical conditions, such as kidney disease or cancer, can cause an increase in stone production. That’s why it’s so important to have a thorough evaluation by Dr. Pugach and our professional staff.

We offer the services of a certified nutritional counselor to work with our kidney stones patients.

Perhaps the most important test we offer is a painless one – a 24 hour urine collection. We use the services of one of the most respected laboratories in the U.S. A sample of what comes out in your urine during a 24 hour period will be analyzed. In most cases, we can identify the factors that put you at risk for kidney stone formation.

This is another example of the comprehensive approach we take to ensure your urologic health – now and in the future!  Contact us for more information on our nutritional counseling.

For your personalized consultation, Call, 888.735.4336 or email 
us via our Contact Us Form.