Obesity Related to Risk of Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are buildups of solidified minerals and acid salts; kidney stones can be very painful to pass; i.e. pee them out.

And obesity may increase the likelihood of developing kidney stones.

Writing in The Journal of Urology, researchers found that becoming obese seems to parallel the risk of getting a kidney stone.

For the study, scientists examined data on 3,257 people with kidney stones and determined their body mass index.

Findings revealed participants with normal body weight—a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9—had a 1 in 40 chance of being diagnosed with kidney stones, compared to a 1 in 20 risk for people with a BMI of over 30, considered obese.

The heaviest people were also more likely to need surgery to remove the stone; surgery is surprisingly rare for kidney stone treatment.

Via Reuters.

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