One in ten people will likely have a kidney stone over their lifetime. Maintaining physical and mental health is not an easy task when the workload is heavy, and the shifts succeed one another. How much water have you drunk today?
Life of a seafarer onboard can be quite hectic, making it very easy to neglect taking care of themselves and forget to drink enough water, one of the fundamentals of well-being. Dehydration can have a negative impact on a person’s health and can cause or worsen certain diseases, including kidney stones.
What is a kidney stone?
A kidney stone is basically a hard mass of minerals, salts and other waste product crystals that form in the kidneys. They can be as small as a grain of sand or as big as a pearl. They can be painful as they pass through the urinary tract.
Kidney stones: The main symptoms
A kidney stone will normally not cause symptoms until it moves around within the kidney or passes into one of the ureters.
- Severe flank or lower back pain on either side
- Persistent vague stomach pain
- A persistent need to urinate or urinate small amounts
- Blood in the urine
- Foul-smelling, cloudy urine
- Fever and chills
- Nausea and/or vomiting
Hydration: The key factor against kidney stones
The best way to prevent kidney stones is to make sure you drink plenty of water each day to avoid becoming dehydrated. As expected, when the body is properly hydrated, the urine is more dilute and contains less of the substances that form stones.
Adequate hydration also helps flush away bacteria and other substances that can lead to infection or inflammation of the kidneys. Drinking plenty of water and other fluids can help keep the body from becoming too dehydrated and reduce the risk of kidney stones.
How can I stay properly hydrated?
To prevent kidney stones, the human body should receive up to 3 liters of fluid throughout the day, every day. The UK NHS advises:
- drinking water, as the healthiest option, but drinks like tea and coffee also count.
- adding fresh lemon juice to the water
- avoiding fizzy drinks
How can I monitor the situation?
One way of knowing that you are drinking enough fluids and that you are not at risk of producing kidney stones is that you are urinating a lot throughout the day. You should also bear in mind that the darker your urine is, the more concentrated it is.
Other risk factors associated with kidney stones
- Diet: Eating a diet high in sodium, animal proteins, and refined carbohydrates can increase the risk of developing kidney stones.
- Genetics: Some people are more likely to develop kidney stones due to a family history of the condition.
- Medication: Certain medications, such as calcium-based antacids and diuretics, can increase the risk of kidney stones.
- Medical conditions: Certain underlying medical conditions, such as urinary tract infections or gout, can increase the risk of developing kidney stones.
- Excess body weight: Excess body weight can cause an increased level of uric acid in the urine, while putting extra strain on the kidneys, making them work harder to filter out waste.
6 tips to prevent kidney stones
1. Drink plenty of fluids: As highlighted above, staying hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids is the most important step in preventing kidney stones. Drinking enough water throughout the day helps flush out the toxins and excess minerals that can lead to stones.
2. Eat a healthy diet: Eating a balanced diet that is low in sodium and animal proteins may help prevent kidney stones. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables may also help.
3. Limit animal proteins: Eating too much animal proteins (such as red meat, poultry, and seafood) can increase the risk of kidney stones. Consider replacing animal proteins with plant-based proteins, such as beans, nuts, and tofu.
4. Limit salt: Eating too much salt and processed foods can increase the risk of kidney stones. Choose fresh foods over processed foods whenever possible.
5. Avoid high-oxalate foods: Oxalates are chemicals found in certain foods that can increase the risk of kidney stones. Avoid high-oxalate foods such as spinach, green beans, rhubarb, beets, chocolate and sweet potatoes.
6. Calcium is not the enemy: People tend to think that calcium increases their chances to produce a kidney stone but, in reality, the opposite is the case. A diet low in calcium actually increases one’s risk of developing kidney stones.
Did you know?
- Research has shown that having one kidney stone greatly increases your chances of having another.
- Loss of water through sweating leads to less urine production. This means the more you sweat, the less you urinate, which allows for stones to be produced.
