Did you order KIDNEY STONES for breakfast?

The term “kidney stones” always reminds me of a Friends episode where Joey has the condition…

He doubles over in pain and agonizes over his diagnosis. (I know I may be dating myself here, but if you haven’t seen that episode, you should check it out!)

While the show makes light of the ever-so-common condition, those little stones can actually have BIG health implications…

And the truth is, something many folks consume regularly—perhaps you even ordered it for breakfast!—could be BOOSTING your odds.

“A minute on the lips…”

According to new research, indulging in a diet full of added sugars is linked with a higher prevalence of kidney stones.

Think soft drinks, fruit juice, pastries, pies, cobblers, candy…

Anything where sugar, or any type of sweetener, has been added to food or drinks during processing or preparation. (That doesn’t even sound appetizing to me, but to each their own.)

And it doesn’t even take much to heighten kidney stone risk…

Researchers looked at data from just under 30,000 adults. Turns out, those who consumed at least 25 percent of their daily calories from added sugar experienced nearly DOUBLE the risk of kidney stones, compared to those eating fewer than 5 percent of calories from added sugar.

That’s not a lot… especially when you consider how sugar-sweetened beverages account for close to 35 percent of all added sugars in the standard American diet (SAD).

But check out this line: “Though added sugars have been linked with multiple poor health outcomes, their link with kidney stones has been unclear.”

How many studies do we need before the mainstream finally accepts—without hesitation or caveats—that sugar is sabotaging our health?

Not-so-sneaky culprit

It’s simply incredulous to me that one simple, yet uber important message isn’t being drilled into everyone’s head from the time they’re born…

Sugar kills.

Are we just going to continue pretending this dietary disaster isn’t linked to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and now kidney stones?

Look, I get it—to make a dramatic change from a sugar-based economy to a health food-based economy is going to take years of effort, education, and money.

But wouldn’t it all be worth it?!

Everyone wants to live longer and healthier… what if the powers-that-be made it a little EASIER to do just that?

And while we’re talking about sugar, can I just say that I don’t know why we hold fruit so sacred either?

Fructose, the sugar found in fruit, has also been associated with kidney stones. Which is why I always advise limiting intake. (But I won’t deny fresh, organic produce beats candy and cake any day.)

To learn more about how dietary choices amp UP kidney stone risk (and how to stop them before they start forming), check out the July 2018 issue of my monthly Logical Health Alternatives newsletter (“URGENT ALERT: It’s kidney stone season”).

Subscribers can log in using their credentials to access this issue in the archives by clicking here. (Not yet a subscriber? Scroll down to learn about becoming one.)

After all, nearly one in 10 people will suffer from kidney stones in their lifetime.

Not to mention, occurrence is increasing—and, if you get them once, it’s likely you’ll get them again.

Source:

“Higher occurrence of kidney stones with more added sugar.” MDedge, 08/03/2023. (mdedge.com/internalmedicine/article/264535/nephrology/higher-occurrence-kidney-stones-more-added-sugar)