Who doesn't enjoy a cold beer on a hot summer day? Let's face it, it's one of our favorite drinks at this time of year. And since beer is a diuretic, some kidney stone patients believe that drinking more beer can prevent kidney stone formation or even help them pass more easily.
But is beer actually good for your stones? And does the type of beer matter? Read on before you grab your next brew!
Can beer help me prevent kidney stones?
To date, no direct relationship has been established between beer consumption and the formation or prevention of kidney stones, but there are studies (Ferraro, Taylor, Gambaro, & Curhan, 2013) that suggest beer may be associated with a lower risk of stone formation.
Can it help me pass them?
Beer is a diuretic. This means it increases urine production. Therefore, if you have a stone smaller than 5 mm in the ureter, the increased urine caused by beer could facilitate its expulsion, but be careful because it could also worsen the pain of renal colic.
So, should I increase my beer consumption in summer?
Definitely not.
It is true that, as we have seen before, there are studies that associate beer with a lower risk of stone formation, and it is also true that beer, being a diuretic, can facilitate the expulsion of small stones. But prolonged beer consumption is harmful for several reasons:
1. Increases dehydration
Beer increases our dehydration. By urinating more, we have less water in our body. And this, combined with the intense summer heat, can be harmful to our health.
2. Increases the risk of obesity
On the other hand, beer, like any alcoholic beverage, increases our weight. And overweight or obesity, in addition to being harmful to our general health, are associated with a higher risk of kidney stone formation.
3. Increases oxalate excretion in urine
Finally, beer has been shown to contain oxalates (Siener, Seidler, Voss, & Hesse, 2017) which can increase the likelihood of forming calcium oxalate stones, which are the most common type of stone.
Does the type of beer matter?
Well, we can infer that it does. The more alcohol and oxalate a beer has, the worse it is for our kidneys because the risk of stone formation increases.
It has been suggested that the oxalate content in beer primarily comes from malted barley or wheat, grains used to make beer that have a high oxalate content.
In summary
Enjoy your beers in the summer, but do so in moderation. And if you can, choose those with a lower alcohol content (or "non-alcoholic") and lower barley or wheat content.
In any case, if you want to maintain good urinary health, you can use supplements like Lit-Control pH Balance.
References
Ferraro, P. M., Taylor, E. N., Gambaro, G., & Curhan, G. C. (2013). Soda and other beverages and the risk of kidney stones. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol.
Siener, R., Seidler, A., Voss, S., & Hesse, A. (2017). Oxalate content of beverages. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis.
