Kidney stones are deposits of crystals or minerals within the kidney tissue that can prove uncomfortable and occasionally pose a serious harm to your health. There are a number of types of kidney stones, but the most common type of kidney stones are made of calcium oxalate, a type of calcium salt. Your intake of calcium can affect kidney stone development, with excessive calcium consumption potentially promoting kidney stone development.
Genetics of Calcium Kidney Stones
In some cases, genetics may increase your risk of developing calcium intake-related kidney stones. Hypercalciuria is a rare genetic disease that can affect how your body metabolizes calcium, and in turn effect your risk of kidney stones. People with hypercalciuria over-absorb calcium from their food, meaning they can overdose on calcium even without excessive supplement usage. The excess calcium leaches into the urine, where it can form calcium crystals that develop into kidney stones.
Calcium Supplements and Kidney Stones
Over-consuming calcium supplements might also increase your risk of kidney stones, even in the absence of an underlying disease like hypercalciuria. While dietary calcium can actually diminish your risk of kidney stone formation, taking calcium supplements might increase your risk of kidney stones by 20 percent, according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. However, the institute notes that further research and larger studies are needed to confirm the role of calcium supplement use on kidney stone development.
Symptoms of Kidney Stones
Calcium-containing kidney stones can lead to the development of a number of symptoms. Patients suffering from kidney stones may feel nauseous, develop a fever or chills, and experience sudden and severe pain in their buttocks or genitals. Large kidney stones may also damage the tissue in your kidney and urinary tract, leading to the development of blood in the urine. Most of the time, you can pass kidney stones through your urine, but particularly large kidney stones may require surgery.
Preventing Kidney Stones
You can often help reduce your risk of calcium-containing kidney stones, or prevent the redevelopment of kidney stones by monitoring your diet. If you have suffered from kidney stones in the past, limit your calcium intake and avoid foods that contain oxalate, another mineral found in many calcium-containing kidney stones. If you're concerned about your risk of kidney stones, have developed stones in the past, or suffer from hypercalciuria, talk to your doctor to plan an appropriate diet to prevent kidney stones.
