Summer’s the Season for Kidney Stones

When the temperature rises, so too does your chance of developing kidney stones. Experts suspect that dehydration from sweating concentrates urine, spurring stone formation. In any weather, you’re likelier to get stones if a relative had them, if you’re obese, or if you get frequent urinary tract infections.

To keep your urine stone free, drink plenty of fluids. These tips also may help:

• Limit salt. Consume less than 1,500 mg— about 1 teaspoon—of salt daily, including what’s in prepared foods.
• Cut the meat. Meat increases the acidity of urine, encouraging stones, while fruits and veggies have the opposite effect.
• Pour yourself some orange juice, too. A recent study in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology found that orange juice worked better than lemonade to discourage stone formation.