Fiber intake tied to reduced risk of kidney stones

(HealthDay)—Greater dietary intake of fiber, fruits, and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of incident kidney stones in postmenopausal women, according to research published in the December issue of The Journal of Urology.

Mathew D. Sorensen, M.D., from the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues analyzed prospective data from 83,922 postmenopausal women (mean age, 64 years; 85 percent white) participating in the Women's Health Initiative. The associations between total dietary fiber, fruit, and vegetable intake and the risk of incident kidney stone formation were evaluated, adjusting for nephrolithiasis risk factors.

The researchers found that 3.5 percent of women experienced a kidney stone during a median follow-up of eight years. In adjusted models of women without a stone history, higher total dietary fiber (6 to 26 percent decreased risk; P < 0.001), greater fruit intake (12 to 25 percent decreased risk; P < 0.001), and greater vegetable intake (9 to 22 percent decreased risk; P = 0.002) were associated with a decreased risk of incident kidney stone formation. There were no significant protective effects noted for fiber, fruit, or vegetable intake on the risk of kidney stone recurrence in women with a history of stones.

"The protective effects were independent of other known risk factors for kidney stones," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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