Young Children in US Developing Kidney Stones
So why are kids suffering from kidney stones?
The rise is attributed to lifestyle factors - in particular, the amount of salt in children's diets. The New York Times blames popular children's foods:
Experts mentioned not just salty chips and French fries, but also processed foods like sandwich meats; canned soups; packaged meals; and even sports drinks like Gatorade, which are so popular among schoolchildren they are now sold in child-friendly juice boxes.
Not drinking enough water is also a cause of kidney stones. Like eating too much salt, it increases the levels of calcium and oxylate in the urine (kidney stones are commonly formed when these two substances bind together).
Some doctors have seen a correlation between weight and kidney stones, with overweight children being more likely to suffer. Others report that even fit and active children have been brought in and diagnosed with kidney stones.
If you want to make sure that your kids aren't at risk:
- Monitor the amount of salt in their diet, and cut down processed and pre-packaged foods as much as possible.
- Encourage children to drink plenty of water. Kids often won't drink until they're thirsty, which may be too little, too late. Get them to carry a water bottle in their backpack.
- Make sure your children stay active, and eat a balanced diet - high-protein diets (popular with some teenagers) are also linked to a risk of kidney stones.
More like this in Teens and Kids · Oct 29, 2008
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Interesting to see that other ailments in addition to childhood obesity are beginning to surface.
ReplyThat's pretty scary news. One of my uncles had a kidney stone and he said passing it was probably the worst pain he'd ever felt. It makes sense that a diet high in processed foods would exacerbate the condition...not just salt, but I imagine that MSG, preservatives, nitrates, additives, etc. probably contribute to stone formation as well.
ReplyThe answer is a combination of encouraging families to eat more whole foods, plus additional activity that involves sweating.
I eat tons of salt and I sweat most of it out.
ReplyThis is interesting. I got kidney stones when I was 13 and then again when I was 14. I am now 24 and kidney stone free so far.
I read another article saying being allergic to chicken somehow causes kidney stones and I am allergic to chicken. So maybe this could also be attributed to food allergies which have also been show to have risen in the last generation. Would be something interesting to look into right?
Reply1300 hundred kids in China were placed in the hospital just last month with kidney failures due to melamine poisoning in the milk and products made with milk powder, like infant formula, candy, and baked goods.
Millions of pounds of milk powder was exported to the US and may be the food supply now. Plus there is a lot of Halloween candy from China with possible melamine in it.
Melamine may be in your kids Halloween candy.
ReplyI'm busy writing my 3rd book, this one is a parental guide for parents who want to keep their children out of food jail - here's a quote from it:
However, a single, packet of chips will provide a three year old child with almost all of their recommended maximum intake of salt. According to a March 2007, BBC report, of 138 loaves of bread analyzed 33% were found to exceed the recommended daily salt allowance. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6407343.stm
ReplyThe scary part is that foods children love like viennas, cheese and breakfast cereals often top the list as some of the unhealthiest foods out there. According to a 2006 report, many contain higher levels of salt than in ready salted crisps or as much sugar as a chocolate bar. Some even contain the same proportion of fat as pork sausages, two fried eggs or a McDonald's McBacon
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-396380/The-truth-cereal--filled-sugar-salt-fat.html Eeven toddlers as young as four are eating too much salt. According to a report in the Journal of Human Hypertension, the average four-year-old double the 2-3g recommended for this age group. Every extra gram raised blood pressure significantly which ultimately increases blood pressure. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6983017.stm In addition, researchers at the University of London are saying that a diet heavy in salt might be the key to why some children battle with obesity. Amongst the 1600 children in the study, those who ate a salt-rich diet (and were thus obviously more thirsty) also drank more, sugary (and very fattening) soft drinks. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7254589.stm
OK so they're blaming kids diets but in that list I don't see school lunches which are primarily canned and other processed foods and if they're anything like the schools I went to from grades 8 - 12 probably serve french fries EVERY SINGLE DAY.
No wonder kids have diet problems. Seriously, if you can manage it send your kids to school with a healthy pack lunch.
ReplyI never really knew what caused stones, just that they're incredibly painful. Good to know. Yikes.
ReplyKids are busy running around, they don't always stop to hydrate like they should. They often don't like plain water, and many children have a variety of allergies and intolerances which limit their beverage choices. Parents can consider offering vitaminwater, which does not contain artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, artificial flavors, sodium, or gluten. vitaminwater has four B vitamins and 100% of the daily value for vitamin C all at 50 calories/8oz. Parents need ideas for healthy beverages that aren't loaded with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or "artificials". vitaminwater is an affordable and healthy beverage choice.
ReplyKids don't run around anymore today than they did when I was a child...they probably don't even get as much exercise as kids from the 1950's. But, we drank more water than pop or sugar drinks. If a kid is thirsty, he/she is going to drink something.
ReplySo, shall we blame it on what they are drinking?
Let's also throw some blame on processed foods and fast foods and the uninformed parents who teach them to eat that way.
I personally wonder if melamine has not slipped through into the food from Chinese imports of gluten.
ReplyI read every ingredient in processed foods now and try to avoid them all as much as possible.
BHT is banned in Europe, but is in much of processed foods in the USA.
The FDA is more interested in Codex Alimentarious than protecting citizens nowadays.
I hadn't thought about the salt! I've cut out most sugar from my kids' lunches, and they always have a water bottle to bring along with them, but I hadn't even thought about the salt!
ReplyI recently had a kidney stone and I firmly believe it was because of my diet. I'm a salt addict.. I can never get enough for my taste buds. At the time it occurred I was barely drinking any water at all.. it was only soda, coffee, and energy drinks. Luckily I've been good since then on my water intake and I've tried to cut down on salt and protein as advised by my urologist.
Reply