Do Sugary Soft Drinks Raise Your Risk of Kidney Stones?

Most people know that drinking plenty of fluids can help prevent kidney stones, but studies show what you drink matters as much as how much. Not all beverages affect stone risk in the same way.

A number of large studies have found that people who frequently consume sugar-sweetened drinks, especially sodas, are more likely to develop kidney stones than those who drink them less often. For example, research analyzing nearly 200,000 adults over more than eight years found that people who drank one or more sugar-sweetened cola beverages per day had a roughly 23% higher risk of developing kidney stones compared with those who drank them less than once a week. Daily intake of sugar-sweetened non-cola sodas was linked to about a 33% higher risk as well.

Several components of these drinks may help explain the connection. High-fructose corn syrup and other added sugars can increase the levels of calcium, oxalate, and uric acid in the urine, all substances that promote crystal and stone formation. High sugar intake is also tied to metabolic changes like weight gain, insulin resistance, and obesity, which are established risk factors for kidney stones.

It’s also worth noting that artificially sweetened beverages may not be entirely risk-free. Some observational studies have found a modest association between diet sodas and stone risk, though the evidence is mixed and generally less strong than for sugar-sweetened drinks.

On the flip side, certain beverages appear to be linked with a lower likelihood of stones when consumed regularly. Coffee (both caffeinated and decaf), tea, and 100 % fruit juices like orange juice, when compared with infrequent intake, have been associated with reduced stone risk in some research, possibly due to beneficial compounds such as citrate and their contribution to overall fluid intake.

In short, staying well-hydrated is a cornerstone of kidney stone prevention, but choosing water and other low- or no-sugar drinks over sugary soft drinks may further lower your risk.

Source:

Ferraro P, Taylor E, Gambaro G, Curhan G. Soda and other beverages and the risk of kidney stones. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. doi: 10.2215/CJN.11661112