What is the relationship between obesity and kidney stones?
In our country, according to the Spanish Society of Cardiology, nearly 40% of the population is overweight and 21% is obese. An increased risk of suffering from renal colic of up to 2 times greater has been demonstrated in obese patients. The probability of recurrence, possible complications, and the risk of severe kidney failure and dialysis will be increased in patients with kidney stones and obesity. Therefore, obesity is one of the most important modifiable factors in preventing kidney stones and their possible consequences for the kidney.
Obesity is associated with insulin resistance and metabolic disorders that can lead to the formation of calcium-containing kidney stones.
Various studies have shown that alterations in urinary pH are related to body weight.
It is also suspected that an increase in body weight may have a direct relationship with an increased risk of developing kidney stones, given the strong association between weight gain since early adulthood and the risk of incident stone formation, which suggests that adiposity plays a central role in the relationship between body size and nephrolithiasis.
How many people can be affected?
By 2025, it is estimated that obesity will affect 21% of women and 18% of men globally.
Lithiasis would account for between 4% and 10% of the causes of Chronic Kidney Failure.
The SEN (Spanish Society of Nephrology) indicates that people with obesity are almost twice as likely to suffer from CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) than healthy individuals, and that this will be 13.8% in men and 24.9% in women in industrialized countries.
Taking this into account, people with obesity or overweight are between two and seven times more likely to develop ESRD (end-stage renal disease) than people with normal weight. Additionally, since obesity directly increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and coronary heart disease, these cause direct damage to the kidney by increasing its workload, thereby leading to a higher incidence of CKD (chronic kidney disease).
Everything suggests that there is a metabolic interrelationship between obesity as a risk factor, the risk of kidney stones, and the possibility of developing chronic kidney disease, along with other risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes.
Additionally, obesity does not help if an instrumental technique (lithotripsy or surgical intervention) is required; on the contrary, it will make the urologist's work more difficult when intervening on the calculus.
How can we prevent it?
The good news is that obesity is generally a "modifiable" risk factor, meaning it can be prevented or even reversed. Therefore, the risk of suffering from these conditions can be slowed down or even partially reversed.
Thus, education and awareness of these problems are necessary, along with adopting healthy lifestyle habits, practicing exercise, drinking plenty of water, and following a healthy and appropriate diet, especially if done under medical supervision and monitoring.
To complement a healthy and balanced diet, dietary supplements such as Lit-Control pH Up and Lit-Control pH Down can be consumed, which will help regulate urinary pH, thus contributing to maintaining good urinary health.
* Spanish Society of Nephrology. Nephrology 2017;37(4):360–369 NEPHROLOGY. Volume 25. Supplement 4. 2005
