Hello, this is Monica Reinagle, and you're listening to the Nutrition Deva

podcast Welcome. As anyone who has ever had one can tell you, passing a kidney stone is not something you're likely to forget, or to remember fondly.

And although dietary measures are not 100% effective in preventing kidney stones, they can definitely reduce your risk.

And that's what we're talking about today. Kidney stones can form when compounds that are normally found in urine form crystals and start to clump together.

They may be as small as a grain of sand, or as large as a small pebble.

Small stones can pass out of the body

without you even noticing.

But if one of those larger stones

starts to migrate through the urinary tract,

well, you're going to notice.

Although the pain of passing a kidney stone can be excruciating,

they do usually pass out of the body

without causing any further damage.

In rare cases, surgery or other treatment may be required, but in most cases, the only

treatment is medication to alleviate the pain while they're on the move. About 1 in 10 people will experience a kidney stone at some point during their lifetime,

and men are about twice as likely as women.

And kidney stones generally occur to adults after age 30, but it is also possible for a younger person to have one as well.

Now once you've had a kidney stone, unfortunately you're at a significantly higher risk for future stones.

And the tendency to form kidney stones also runs in families.

So if your parents or your siblings have had stones, then you might also be at increased risk.

But whether or not you have a family history of stones,

certain dietary habits can reduce or increase your risk.

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