Citrus fruits and juices taste good and provide many necessary nutrients to your body. They also can help your body prevent kidney stones as well as break down existing stones. A well-balanced diet that provides your daily recommended citrus intake can keep you stone-free if your urinary tract is healthy. But if you are experiencing pain near your kidneys or when you urinate, you should seek medical attention immediately.
Kidney Stones
A kidney stone is a hard mass, located in your kidneys, that develops when crystals separate from the urine in your urinary tract and clump together to form a stone. Normally your urine contains chemicals that prevent these crystals from forming. Sometimes the crystals mass into a kidney stone that is small enough to pass out of your system without you noticing it. But other times, the crystals form larger masses that cannot pass out of your system.
Who Is Susceptible
Doctors have not pinpointed a particular reason for kidney stone formation. What doctors do know, though, is that you are more susceptible to getting kidney stones if stones are in your family history. You are also more likely to develop kidney stones if you have had urinary tract infections, kidney diseases or hyperparathyroidism. Males are more likely to develop kidney stones than women, and Caucasians are more likely than African Americans.
Citric Acid
The citric acid naturally found in citrus fruits helps destroy kidney stones. The acid coats the stones, preventing other materials from latching on and making the stones bigger, as well as breaking down the particles in each stone to help them pass, according to the University of Wisconsin Hospital. Healthy amounts of citric acid in your body will also help prevent kidney stones from forming.
Citrus Juices
Citrus juices can help prevent kidney stones--especially recurring kidney stones--just as well as citrus fruits. Citrate, the juices' active agent, reduces the ability of uric acid and calcium oxalate to oxidize and form stones. But not all juices are created equal. Orange juice and grapefruit juice, according to Medical News Today and supported by research from UT Southwestern Medical Center, are more potent and can help prevent kidney stones better than lemonades, which dilute the pure lemon juice with water and sugars.
When to See a Doctor
Most people don't realize they have kidney stones until they visit a doctor; these "silent" stones will appear in X-rays. But if you are experiencing pain or difficulty urinating, cramping in the back and side near your kidneys or blood in your urine, you may have a larger kidney stone that will not pass easily. In such an instance, citrus fruits and juices may help, but you should still see a doctor to determine if you require any other medical treatment.
