Kidney Stones

Please note that this section contains my personal notes from my readings on this topic.

———————————————————————————————————-

Professor W.G. Robertson from the Medical Research Council in Leeds, England is one of the world’s foremost experts on diet and kidney stones. Dr. Robert’s research ground has investigated the relationship between food and kidney stones with great depth and breadth, both in theory and in practice. Their work began more than thirty years ago and continues to the present day. A search of the scientific publications authored or co-authored by Robertson shows at least 100 papers published since the mid-1960s.

Robertson’s findings show that consuming animal protein at levels above 21 grams per person per day (slightly less than one ounce) for the United Kingdom for the years of 1958 to 1973 is closely correlated with a high number of kidney stones formed per 10,000 individuals per year. This is an impressive relationship.

Few researchers have worked out the details of a research question more thoroughly than Robertson and his colleagues. They have developed a model for estimating the risk of stone formation with remarkable accuracy. Although they have identified six risk factors for kidney stones, animal protein consumption was the major culprit. Consumption of animal protein at levels commonly seen in affluent countries leads to the development of four of the six risk factors.

Not only is animal protein linked to risk factors for future formation of stones, but it affects recurring stones as well. Robertson published findings showing that, among the patients who had recurrent kidney stones, he was able to resolve their problem simply by shifting their diet away from animal protein foods.

– The China Study by Dr. Campbell; 2006; page 212

Urolithiasis [kidney stone formation] is a worldwide problem which appears to be aggravated by the high dairy-produce, highly energy-rich and low-fibre diets consumed in most industrialized countries… Evidence points, in particular, to a high-meat protein intake as being the dominant factor… On the basis of epidemiological and biochemical studies a move toward a more vegetarian, less energy-rich diet would be predicted to reduce the risk of stone in the population.

– The China Study by Dr. Campbell; 2006; page 213