Is Green Tea Bad for Kidney Stones?
Kidney stones are painful and difficult to pass, free of pain, and free of symptoms like difficulty urinating, but many people don’t know that something as seemingly harmless as green tea can impact their stones.
Although green tea has plenty of health benefits – such as decreased risk of cancer and improved brain function – it’s important to understand how this popular beverage may affect your risk of developing or passing kidney stones.
What Are Kidney Stones?
Kidney stones are small, hard deposits of minerals and salts found within the kidneys. Throughout their lifetime, as many as 15% of people in the United States will experience a kidney stone at some point.
Can Green Tea Affect Kidney Stones?
Studies have found that drinking green tea can reduce your risk of developing kidney stones:
- In one study, women who drank green tea more than four times per week had a seven percent lower risk of developing kidney stones than women who drank it less than once a week.
- In another study, men who drank green tea more than three times per week had a 10 percent lower risk of developing kidney stones than those who drank it less than once a week.
However, green tea should be consumed in moderation and caution should be taken if you’ve had kidney stones in the past. Excessive consumption of green tea can increase the amount of calcium and oxalate in the urine, which can make kidney stone formation more likely.
For this reason, it’s best to avoid drinking more than three or four cups of green tea per day if you have a history of kidney stones.
Conclusion
In conclusion, although green tea may decrease the risk of developing kidney stones for some people, those who have had kidney stones in the past should be mindful of their consumption and limit themselves to three or four cups per day.
