Lemon Juice And Kidney Stones

Can lemon juice, lower your risk of getting kidney stones? (Along with lemonade and other juices)

Answer:

Yes, lowering the risk of kidney stones can be done by drinking lemon juice. On the other hand, alternative beverages or supplements may do it more effectively.

Lemon juice offers assistance by providing citrate, which binds to calcium in the urine, preventing kidney storms from forming due to calcium. In addition citrate raises the pH of the urine, making it less acidic, which can also diminish the formation of kidney stones. In 20% to 60% of people with kidney stones, the amount of citrate in urine is lower than normal.

To increase citrate in the urine, one needs to increase citrate intake. Consequently, supplementing with potassium citrate, sodium citrate, or potassium-magnesium citrate is often recommended for kidney-stone formers who have hypocitraturia. A typical daily dose is 30 to 60 mEq (milliequivalent) (equal to 3,240 to 6,480 mg) of potassium citrate divided into two doses taken with or shortly after meals. However, this is a bulky amount (more than 3 to 6 grams) of potassium citrate and gastrointestinal side effects occur in approximately 10% of patients using these supplements (Prezioso, Arch Ital Urol Andro 2015).

 

Benefits For Drinking Citrate 

The benefit of drinking your citrate is that it increases your fluid consumption, which is an important component of any kidney stone treatment regimen. To increase citrate in the urine, one needs to increase citrate intake. Consequently, supplementing with potassium citrate, sodium citrate, or potassium-magnesium citrate is often recommended for kidney-stone formers who have hypocitraturia.

Orange juice has approximately the same concentration of citrate as lemon juice and is more palatable, although it has more calories per 8 oz glass than lemon juice. However, low-calorie orange juice is available. Pineapple juice has more calories than regular orange juice or lemon juice, and slightly less citrate. Orange juice has approximately the same concentration of citrate as lemon juice and is more palatable, although it has more calories per 8 oz glass than lemon juice.

Another option besides taking supplements is to drink certain citruses, like lemon juice, that are high in citrate. In fact, grapefruit juice has an even higher concentration of citrate (197.5 mEq/L) than lemon juice (145.5 mEq/L). Just be cautious that grapefruit juice can interact with many medications, including benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax), certain statin drugs (Lipitor, Zocor) and others.

 

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