What causes kidney stones? I have heard salt, caffeine, calcium. Does anyone know for sure.?
by 
Scrappy
ANSWERS: 4
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I can tell you for sure that in cats its definitely calcium. I wouldn't imagine it would be different in humans. However, being dehydrated can contribute, so salt (which draws water out of cells by osmosis), and diuretics such as coffee, tend to contribute to it.
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A while back when I was trying to find out, I discovered that there are several different kinds of kidney stones. There didn't seem to be a consensus about what causes them, though there were some commonalities. But more importantly, it seems that water is the best preventative measure. This will probably be your best source of information: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/stonesadults/index.htm
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DO NOT get your medical answers from web sites such as this one! Look at Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, or WebMD web sites. Someone here seems to be saying to avoid calcium. That is outdated advice--increased calcium intake, or so I have read, decreases kidney stone formation, even though sometimes the stones are made of calcium.
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Doctors know that Oxalate is binder, so avoiding foods high in this is a good thing to do to prevent them. Also drinking plenty of water is good. Dilutes the urine to help prevent them. As far as the cause, either they refuse to tell us because there's no money in the cure or they honestly don't know. I just went through the coke/asparagus thing and it actually made them smaller so I canceled my Litho appointment.
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