Soda, punch consumption linked to stone risk

Consumption of sugar-sweetened soda and punch is associated with an elevated risk of kidney stone formation, according to a recent study.

While increasing fluid intake has long been advised to prevent future stone formation, the type of beverage consumed is key, researchers say. “We found that higher consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks was associated with a higher incidence of kidney stones,” explained senior author Gary Curhan, MD, ScD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Channing Division of Network Medicine, Boston.

Dr. Curhan and colleagues analyzed data from three ongoing cohorts: the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and both the Nurses’ Health Study I and II. The total analysis involved 194,095 participants over a median follow-up of more than 8 years. Participants in all three cohorts had been asked to complete biennial questionnaires with information on medical history, lifestyle, and medication. Questions on diet were updated every 4 years.

The researchers found that participants who consumed one or more sugar-sweetened cola servings per day had a 23% higher risk of developing kidney stones compared with those participants consuming less than one serving per week. This was true for consuming sugar-sweetened non-cola as well, such as punch. They also found that some beverages, such as coffee, tea, and orange juice, were associated with a lower risk of stone formation.

“Our prospective study confirms that some beverages are associated with a lower risk of kidney stone formation, whereas others are associated with a higher risk,” said first author Pietro Manuel Ferraro, MD, of Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Rome. “Although higher total fluid intake reduces the risk of stone formation, this information about individual beverages may be useful for general practitioners seeking to implement strategies to reduce stone formation in their patients.”

Results from the study were published online in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (May 15, 2013).

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