In terms of kidney stones, the idea is to prevent them from forming in the first place. According to scientists from the University of California (UCLA), obesity, gout and diabetes could all be hidden causes of kidney stones.
In the trial, medical records of approximately 12,110 individuals suffering from kidney stones were analyzed. The scientists took a look at their body size measurements with respect to height and waist line. As per the results, an apparent link was found between kidney stones and other medical conditions like obesity, diabetes and gout.
Dr. Charles D. Scales Jr., a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Clinical Scholar in the departments of urology and medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, commented, “While we expected the prevalence of kidney stones to increase, the size of the increase was surprising. Our findings also suggested that the increase is due, in large part, to the increase in obesity and diabetes among Americans.”
Though the present objective is to treat people suffering from kidney stones, the team urged people to keep track of their body weights for keeping kidney problems at bay. They advised professionals to help patients manage their BMIs by eating healthy foods.
Reported in the journal, European Urology, the study showed that obesity could be regarded as a risk factor for kidney stones. According to the investigators, above one third of the US population is obese at present. Along the same lines, kidney stone cases have increased 2 folds since 2007.