Haunted by kidney stones? Watch your sugar intake this Halloween.
Trick-or-treating is a fun Halloween tradition for both young and old. Even if we aren’t dressing up in costume and traveling from house to house, the night is still a great excuse to pick up a few bags of fun-size candy bars and treat ourselves.
Occasional sweets are nothing to be spooked by, but consuming too much sugar is a proven health hazard, contributing to multiple diseases, including kidney stones.
RIP sugar.
Research has found that those who eat more sugar are more likely to develop kidney stones.
In the study, participants who received more than 25% of their calories from added sugars had an 88% higher chance of developing kidney stones vs. those who consumed less than 5% of their calories from sugars.
According to the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025, Americans should get less than 10% of their calories from added sugars. Unfortunately, the average American eats about three times that amount.
Diets high in added sugar have not only been linked to kidney stones but a whole host of ghoulish diseases like diabetes, heart and liver disease, cancer, and dementia. Some health problems caused by sugar, particularly high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and obesity, also increase the prevalence of kidney stone formation. It’s a vicious cycle.
Kidney stone make-up
How does sugar impact kidney stone formation?
Kidney stones are formed from an overabundance of minerals, salts, and other waste in the urine.
Eventually, this waste crystalizes to form stones in our kidneys. The most common stones are from calcium or uric acid:
- Calcium stones can have genetic or metabolic causes. They can also be linked to foods with oxalates (in some nuts, legumes, and dark leafy greens) and sodium and animal proteins.
- Uric acid stones typically form in people who eat a lot of animal proteins (red meat, poultry, eggs), those who are dehydrated or lose too much fluid due to diarrhea, and those with diabetes or metabolic syndrome.
A diet high in added sugars can increase the amount of calcium in the urine, make urine more acidic, and decrease urine volume, all of which can lead to kidney stones.
Kidney stone symptoms and risk factors
Symptoms of kidney stones include severe pain on either side of the back, blood in the urine, and nausea due to the pain. One in 10 people will develop kidney stones.
Your chance of being that one could depend on a variety of factors.
Adult males are slightly more likely than women to develop stones. Health conditions, including chronic diarrhea, dehydration, inflammatory bowel disease, high blood pressure, and gout, also can raise chances.
When it comes to the effects of added sugar, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey indicated that Native Americans and Asians are more likely to develop kidney stones compared with Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, and non-Hispanic Black people.
Lastly, those who have had stones, even just one, are 50% more likely to develop more in the following five to seven years.
Candy conundrum
So, back to our candy conundrum. How much sugar is safe to eat to avoid kidney stones?
The American Heart Association recommends adult males consume no more than 36 grams of sugar daily or nine teaspoons. That equals about 150 calories. So, limit yourself to two fun-size pieces on trick-or-treat night.
For women and children, the recommendation is no more than 25 grams of sugar daily or six teaspoons. That’s about 100 calories or one fun-size candy bar.
Michigan Institute of Urology offers state-of-the-art outpatient treatments for kidney stones. Learn more about our treatments and other steps you can take to prevent kidney stones.
