Protein’s Role in Kidney Stones
The ultimate therapy for people with kidney stones may lie not only in careful meal planning and drinking plenty of water, but also in changing what the body’s cells make. Everyone forms crystals made of calcium phosphate and calcium oxalate, but only some of us develop stones from these crystals. The difference is some people make proteins that encourage stone development. We need to find a way to force cells to make the right kind of protein to prevent stones from forming.
Billions of dollars are spend annually on treating kidney stones, which can cause recurring bouts of excruciating pain and kidney damage as they block and/or pass through urinary channels. Some stones must be removed surgically, or broken up through shock wave lithotripsy. Most stones are composed of a mass of calcium phosphate and calcium oxalate crystals which build up inside the kidneys. The prevailing theory has been that the calcium phosphate crystals form first; they in turn promote the creation of calcium oxalate crystals surrounding them. Researchers developed an alternative view after looking at high-resolution microscopic images of human and rat stones. They noticed that a coating of protein and other organic material lies between the calcium phosphate and calcium oxalate in the stones.
People who have one kidney stone run a high risk of forming more. That’s why physicians advise them to take preventive measures to avoid kidney damage. They may be asked to cut down on foods containing oxalate, which can be found in spinach, broccoli and asparagus to reduce calcium intake. Kidney stone patients are also told to drink enough water to produce more than 2 liters of urine every day because the greater the volume, the lower the concentration of stone-forming substances.
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