Is it when people have too much protien? Nuts (high oxalates and protein)? Get dehydrated?
Or some other thing we don’t understand?
Is there any data on stone formers going keto and not having recurrent stones?
By what mechanism does the ketogenic diet increase the likelihood of kidney stones?
CarlKeller
(Carl Keller)
#2
Cystine is an amino acid that is in certain foods; it is one of the building blocks of protein. Cystinuria (too much cystine in the urine) is a rare, inherited metabolic disorder. It is when the kidneys do not reabsorb cystine from the urine. When high amounts of cystine are in the urine, it causes stones to form. Cystine stones often start to form in childhood.
https://www.urologyhealth.org/urologic-conditions/kidney-stones
Hydration plays a big role in whether or not stones will form but there are other variables involved.
According to Dr. Stephen Phinney:
Kidney stones have many causes. The most common chemicals found in kidney stones are calcium, oxalate, and uric acid. Significant promoters of kidney stone formation are genetic (aka inherited) factors, dehydration, and low dietary magnesium. Although serum uric acid levels go up in the early adaptation phase of a well-formulated ketogenic diet, this is caused by decreased excretion, not increased production. And after a month or two, the kidneys adapt to maintaining normal uric acid excretion. At Virta, we devote considerable attention to hydration, adequate but not excessive dietary sodium and calcium, and despite plenty of green vegetables, nut, and seeds (dietary sources of magnesium), we supplement magnesium when there are early clinical signs of depletion.