Tag Archive for: fluid

Citric Acid: Stone Killer?

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Increasing fluid intake can reduce the risk of developing stones of all types: kidney stones, gall stones, bladder stones, or uric acid crystals. But there’s one more thing you could do to reduce the risk—add some citric acid to the fluids you drink. While the research on using a form of pharmaceutical is not clear yet, this is one thing we can do with diet.

We expect electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium in sport drinks, but adding citric acid can help your blood’s pH as well as reduce the formation of stones. The simplest approach would be to drink limeade or lemonade; fresh squeezed or a manufactured drink, citric acid makes the drink tart and sour. The food with the highest amount of citric acid is lime, with lemon a close second. I typically use sugar-free lemonade and add the juice from one lime in a 16-ounce container. It’s very tart but not inedible.

Avoid the mentality of “if some is good, more must be better.” Research hasn’t shown that to be true, so let’s stick to what we know. And while citric acid is a weak acid, it may still give you an upset stomach if you have too much. One lime or lemon per day seems to reduce stone formation.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Korean J Urol. 2014 Dec; 55(12): 775–779.

Don’t Forget Fluids

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With the unseasonably warm weather many of us are experiencing, I thought it was time to remind you that it’s not all about water: the emphasis should be on fluids. Coffee, tea, milk, soda, sports drinks, soup—all of those count toward your daily fluid intake.

It’s true that some drinks are better than others. Sugary drinks take extra fluid to keep your blood osmotically balanced or to store the sugar as glycogen, but all drinks count as fluid. The only drinks that don’t count are alcoholic drinks because alcohol is a diuretic; caffeine isn’t a true diuretic, so worry about the caffeine only as it affects your sleep. But the rest? All good. Don’t forget that most vegetables and fruit are mostly water, so they count as fluid as well.

How much fluid do you need? One-half your body weight in ounces (if you weigh 200 pounds, make sure you’re getting at least 100 ounces of water every day), and more if you’re in the humid heat.

There’s one more thing you could add; I’ll let you know what on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet