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Kidney Stones |
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Kidney Stones |
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First off, here's the executive summary: vitamin C does not cause kidney stones. In fact, vitamin C increases urine flow, favorably lowers urine pH, and prevents calcium from binding with urinary oxalate. More on this below.
There are five types of
kidney stones: 1. Calcium phosphate
stones are common and will dissolve in urine acidified by ascorbic acid vitamin
C. 2. Calcium oxalate
stones are even more common but they do not dissolve in acid urine. More on them below. 3. Magnesium
ammonium phosphate (struvite stones) are much less common, often appearing
after an infection. They dissolve in vitamin C acidified urine. 4. Uric acid stones
result from a problem metabolizing purines (the chemical base
of adenine, xanthine, theobromine [in chocolate] and uric acid). They
may form in a condition such as gout. 5. Cystine stones
result from a hereditary inability to reabsorb cystine. Most
children's stones are this type, and these are rare. Acidic urine will also
dissolve magnesium ammonium phosphate stones, which would otherwise require
surgical removal. These are the same struvite stones associated with
urinary tract infections. Both the infection and the stone are easily
cured with vitamin C in large doses. BOTH are virtually 100% preventable
with daily consumption of much-greater-than-RDA amounts of ascorbic
acid. Think grams, not milligrams! A gorilla gets about 4,000 mg of
vitamin C a day in its natural diet. The US RDA for humans is only 60
mg. Someone is wrong, and I don't think it's the gorillas. The common calcium
oxalate stone can form in an acidic urine whether one takes vitamin C or not.
However, if a person gets adequate quantities of B-complex vitamins and
magnesium, this type of stone does not form. Any common B-complex
supplement twice daily, plus about 400 milligrams of magnesium, is usually
adequate. Ascorbate (the active ion
in vitamin C) does increase the body's production of oxalate. Yet, in
practice, vitamin C does not increase oxalate stone formation.
Drs. Emanuel Cheraskin, Marshall Ringsdorf, Jr. and Emily Sisley explain in The
Vitamin C Connection (1983) that acidic urine or slightly acidic urine
reduces the Furthermore, you
can avoid excessive oxalates by not eating (much) rhubarb, spinach, or
chocolate. If a doctor thinks that a person is especially prone to forming oxalate stones, that person should
read the suggestions below before abandoning the benefits of vitamin C.
Robert F. Cathcart II, M.D. writes
on “Why Don’t Massive Doses of Ascorbate Produce Kidney
Stones?” “Years ago when Linus
Pauling wrote his book "Vitamin C and the Common Cold", the critics
immediately labeled the taking of large doses of vitamin C dangerous because
it would produce calcium oxalate kidney stones. This practice of telling
people that vitamin C caused kidney stones continues today by the critics of
vitamin C despite the lack of clinical evidence of kidney stones in people
taking vitamin C. “It was hypothesized that
since a significant percentage of ascorbate was metabolized into and excreted
as oxalic acid that this oxalic acid should combine with calcium in the urine
and deposit as calcium oxalate kidney stones. It is true that those of us who
take large doses of ascorbate have elevated oxalic acid in our urine but no
kidney stones. With the millions of people in the world taking vitamin C, if
vitamin C caused kidney stones there would have been a massive epidemic of
kidney stones noticed by this time. There has been none. “I started using vitamin C in massive doses in-patients in 1969. By the time I read that
ascorbate should cause kidney stones, I had clinical evidence that it did not
cause kidney stones, so I continued prescribing massive doses to patients.
To this day (2006) I estimate that I
have put 25,000 patients on massive doses of vitamin C and none have
developed kidney stones. Two patients who had dropped their doses to 500
mg a day developed calcium oxalate kidney stones. I raised their doses back
up to the more massive doses and added magnesium and B6 to their program and
no more kidney stones. I think that the low doses had no effect and they, by
coincidence, developed the kidney stones because they were not taking enough
vitamin C.” (If you
want to read more by Dr. Cathcart, a quick website search for
“Cathcart” from the www.doctoryourself.com
main page will bring up a lot for you to look at.) 2.
Control urine pH. Acidic urine helps prevent urinary tract infections,
dissolves both phosphate and struvite stones, and will not cause oxalate
stones. 3. Eat
your veggies: studies have shown that dietary oxalate is generally not a
significant factor in stone formation. I would go easy on rhubarb and
spinach, however. 4.
Most kidney stones are compounds of calcium and most Americans are calcium
deficient. Instead of lowering calcium intake, reduce excess dietary
phosphorous by avoiding carbonated soft drinks, especially colas. Soft
drinks contain excessive quantities of phosphorous as phosphoric acid.
This is the same acid that has been used by dentists to etch tooth enamel
before applying sealant. 5.
Take a magnesium supplement of AT LEAST the US RDA of 300-350 mg/day (more
may be desirable in order to maintain an ideal 1:2 balance of magnesium to
calcium) 6. Be certain
to take a good B-complex vitamin supplement daily, which contains pyridoxine
(vitamin B-6). B-6 deficiency produces kidney stones in
experimental animals. In high doses, it is also used medically to treat
kidney stones. Remember: * B-6 deficiency
is very common in humans * B-1 (thiamine)
deficiency also is associated with stones (Hagler and
Herman, "Oxalate Metabolism, II" American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, 26:8, 882-889, August, 1973) 7.
Additionally, low calcium may itself CAUSE calcium stones (L. H. Smith, et
al, "Medical Evaluation of Urolithiasis" Urological
Clinics of North America 1:2, 241-260, June 1974) 8. For
uric acid/purine stones (gout), STOP EATING MEAT! Nutrition tables
and textbooks indicate meats as the major dietary purine source.
Naturopathic treatment adds juice fasts and eating sour
cherries. Increased vitamin C consumption helps by improving the urinary
excretion of uric acid. (Cheraskin, et al, 1983). Use
buffered ascorbate "C". 9.
Persons with cystine stones (only 1% of all kidney stones) should follow a
low methionine diet and use buffered C. 10.
Kidney stones are associated with high sugar intake, so eat less (or no)
added sugar (J. A. Thom, et al "The Influence of Refined Carbohydrate on
Urinary Calcium Excretion," British Journal of Urology, 50:7,
459-464, December, 1978) 11.
Infections can cause conditions that favor stone formation, such as overly
concentrated urine (from fever sweating, vomiting or diarrhea).
Practice good preventive health care, and it will pay you back with
interest.
Additional information on why vitamin C doses not cause kidney stones with special reference to intravenous vitamin C therapy: http://doctoryourself.com/C_Kidney_December TL letter.pdf
Gerster H. No contribution of ascorbic acid to renal calcium oxalate stones. Ann Nutr Metab. 1997;41(5):269-82. "Even though a certain part of oxalate in the urine derives from metabolized ascorbic acid (AA), the intake of high doses of vitamin C does not increase the risk of calcium oxalate kidney stones. . . (I)n the large- scale Harvard Prospective Health Professional Follow-Up Study,
those groups in the highest quintile of vitamin C intake (greater than 1,500 mg/day) had a lower risk of kidney stones than the groups in the lowest quintiles."
Revusova V, Zvara V, Karlikova L, Suchanek B. Prognosis of urolithiasis and nephrocalcinosis in hypomagnesemia. Czech Med. 1985;8(4):207-13.
Kridl J, Zvara V, Revusova V, Gratzlova J, Ondrus B. [Inhibition of calcium oxalate urolithiasis with pyridoxine and magnesium in an experiment] Bratisl Lek Listy. 1984 Jan;81(1):21-8. Slovak.
Ringsdorf WM Jr, Cheraskin E. Nutritional aspects of urolithiasis. South Med J. 1981 Jan;74(1):41-3, 46. Review.
Schneider HJ, Hesse A, Berg W, Kirsten J, Nickel H. [Animal-experiment studies on the effect of magnesium and vitamin B 6 on calcium-oxalate nephrolithiasis] Z Urol Nephrol. 1977 Jun;70(6):419-27. German.
Revusova V, Gratzlova J, Zvara V, Kridl J, Suchanek B, Breza J. The evaluation of some biochemical parameters in pyridoxine-treated calcium oxalate renal stone formers. Urol Int. 1977;32(4):348-52.
Izashvili NP, Kasabian EV. [Metabolism of vitamin B6, citric and oxalic acids, calcium and magnesium in nephrolithiasis] Urol Nefrol (Mosk). 1973 May-Jun;38(3):9-13. Russian.
Gershoff SN. Production of urinary calculi in vitamin B6-deficient male, female and castrated male rats. J Nutr. 1970 Jan;100(1):117-22.
Takasaki E, Shimano E. The urinary excretion of oxalic acid and magnesium in oxalate urolithiasis. Invest Urol. 1967 Nov;5(3):303-12.
[No authors listed] The effect of magnesium and pyridoxine on formation of calcium oxalate stones in man. Nutr Rev. 1967 Oct;25(10):304-5. Review.
Gershoff SN, Prien EL. Effect of daily MgO and vitamin B6 administration to patients with recurring calcium oxalate kidney stones. Am J Clin Nutr. 1967 May;20(5):393-9.
Lyon ES, Borden TA, Ellis JE, Vermeulen CW. Calcium oxalate lithiasis produced by pyridoxine deficiency and inhibition with high magnesium diets. Invest Urol. 1966 Sep;4(2):133-42.
Cheraskin, Ringsdorf Jr. and Sisley: The Vitamin C Connection, Harper and Row, 1983 Pauling,
Linus. "Are Kidney Stones Associated with Vitamin C
Intake?" Today's Living, September, 1981 Pauling, Linus. " Pauling, Linus. How to
Live Longer and Feel Better, Freeman, 1986 VITAMIN C MYTH-BUSTERS Is some
clown still trying to tell you that vitamin C is somehow dangerous? Or that
you shouldn't take more than 200 mg/day? There are excellent articles that you will want to read at http://www.whale.to/v/c/index.html
And
here's some more really good news for all you health nuts who every day try
so valiantly to convince friend, foe and family to take their vitamins: VITAMIN
C SAFETY STUDY “Ascorbic
Acid is a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) substance . . . Mice given
Ascorbic Acid subcutaneous and intravenous daily doses (500 to 1000 mg/kg bw)
for 7 days had no changes in appetite, weight gain, and general behavior; and
histological examination of various organs showed no changes. Ascorbic Acid
was a photoprotectant when applied to mice and pig skin before exposure to
ultraviolet (UV) radiation. . . . Pregnant mice and rats were given daily
oral doses of Ascorbic Acid up to 1000 mg/kg bw with no indications of
adult-toxic, teratogenic, or fetotoxic effects. Ascorbic Acid and Sodium
Ascorbate were not genotoxic in several bacterial and mammalian test systems,
consistent with the antioxidant properties of these chemicals. . . These data coupled with an absence of
reports in the clinical literature of Ascorbic Acid sensitization strongly
support the safety of these ingredients." (Elmore
AR. Final report of the safety assessment of L-Ascorbic Acid, Calcium
Ascorbate, Magnesium Ascorbate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium
Ascorbate, and Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate as used in cosmetics. Int J Toxicol.
2005;24 Suppl 2:51-111.) VITAMIN
C DOES NOT CAUSE KIDNEY STONES "The
relation between the intake of vitamins B6 and C and the risk of symptomatic
kidney stones were prospectively studied in a cohort of 85,557 women with no
history of kidney stones. . . Large doses of vitamin B6 may reduce the risk
of kidney stone formation in women. Routine restriction of vitamin C to
prevent stone formation appears unwarranted." (Curhan,
G. C., Willett, W. C., Speizer, F. E., Stampfer, M. J. Intake of vitamins B6 and C and the risk of
kidney stones in women. J Am Soc Nephrol 10:4:840-845, Apr 1999.) VITAMIN
C PREVENTS AND CURES RECTAL POLYPS Jerome
J. DeCosse, M.D., Ph.D., Mark B. Adams, M.D., Joseph F. Kuzma, M.D., Paul
LoGerfo, M.D., and Robert E. Condon, M.D. Effect of ascorbic acid on rectal
polyps of patients with familial polyposis. Surgery, November, 1975, Vol. 78,
No. 5, pp. 608-612. http://www.whale.to/v/c/index.html
CARDIOVASCULAR
DISEASE DECREASED BY VITAMIN C "(T)here
was a 27% decreased prevalence of coronary heart disease and a 26% decreased
prevalence of stroke among those in the highest serum vitamin C category. In
the NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study, it was found that the highest
intakes of vitamin C had a 25% to 50% reduction in cardiovascular
mortality." (Simon,
JA et al. Serum ascorbic acid and cardiovascular disease prevalence in Andrew Saul is the author of the books FIRE YOUR
DOCTOR! How to be Independently Healthy (reader reviews at http://www.doctoryourself.com/review.html
) and DOCTOR YOURSELF: Natural Healing that Works. (reviewed at http://www.doctoryourself.com/saulbooks.html
) |
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AN IMPORTANT NOTE: This page is not in any way offered as prescription, diagnosis nor treatment for any disease, illness, infirmity or physical condition. Any form of self-treatment or alternative health program necessarily must involve an individual's acceptance of some risk, and no one should assume otherwise. Persons needing medical care should obtain it from a physician. Consult your doctor before making any health decision. Neither the author nor the webmaster has authorized the use of their names or the use of any material contained within in connection with the sale, promotion or advertising of any product or apparatus. Single-copy reproduction for individual, non-commercial use is permitted providing no alterations of content are made, and credit is given. |
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