Best hydration for kidney health and alkali citrate

Most of us know enough about kidney stones to never wish for them to happen to us. They are caused when waste from your body is not excreted properly by the kidneys, usually because we are dehydrated. When we are dehydrated, there is a higher concentration of minerals in our urine, which can lead to the formation of kidney stones. It is important to consume healthy drinks for kidney health. Plain water can protect the kidneys but there are also other, healthy hydration options that can ensure their smooth functioning.

In this blog, let us understand what our kidneys do for us every day, the role of water in maintaining healthy kidney function, how much water to drink, and what drinks are best to prevent kidney stones.

Our kidneys are nothing short of super stars

All the effort that goes into maintaining a healthy body, like eating right, moving frequently, and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle can all go in vain without the right amount of hydration. Those who drink sufficient water regularly generally have healthy skin and organs. More importantly, their kidneys tend to be healthy.

Kidneys are hard-working organs in the human body. They serve as regulators of water in our bodies. They eject excess water and toxins in the urine, and help store water when reserves are low. In addition, they also regulate our blood pressure, the production of red blood cells, and the amount of calcium in our bodies. That’s a lot of work for a pair of organs!

Why is water important for healthy kidneys?

When we drink adequate amounts of water, the kidneys have enough to function smoothly and distribute to the other organs. At the same time, we don’t need to worry about unpleasant kidney stones or urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Are we drinking enough water?

While we drink different kinds of liquids everyday, studies show that as of Jan 2020, 17% of Americans drank 0% water. In the long term, this can have disastrous consequences for the kidneys. Studies show that every time we drink a sweetened beverage, the health benefits of hydration are nullified by the sugar in the drink.

How much water should you drink?

We continuously lose water from our bodies, so it’s essential that we replenish the lost water and minerals regularly. Keeping this in mind, the Institute of Medicine recommends that men drink 3 liters of water a day and women drink 2.2 liters. However, this is just a general recommendation and not a rule set in stone.

There is such a thing as too much water

Although it is not a common occurrence, sometimes certain groups of people like marathon runners or other endurance athletes might end up drinking too much water. This causes the sodium levels in the blood to become diluted and leads to a serious condition called hyponatremia.

Keep a lookout for the color of your urine

One effective way to know that you are drinking enough water is to watch the color of your urine. If it is straw-colored or paler, then you are doing okay, but if it is darker, then you might need to drink more water.

Water requirements for those with existing kidney disease

If you have an existing condition of the kidneys, you need to consult your doctor before deciding on how much water you can consume every day. This must be done with no delays because when you have kidney disease, especially kidney failure, your kidney function is already impaired and an excessive intake of water can do more harm than good.

Drinks for kidney stone treatment

When you have a kidney stone, the goal is to pass it through your body, and drinking water and other drinks for kidney health is of utmost importance at this stage. Your doctor might recommend several types of juice like pomegranate, beetroot, celery, basil, etc., because these tend to help flush out toxins and wastes from the body.

Alkali citrate and kidney stones

Among the many drinks for kidney stone treatment, alkali citrate can help increase urine citrate and urine pH. You might wonder why this is important. To understand this, we need to understand that there are different types of kidney stones.

Calcium oxalate: These tend to form when the calcium in the urine combines with oxalate. They are, by far, the most common type. Typically, an inadequate intake of fluids and calcium causes this type of kidney stones.

Uric acid: This can happen when there is too much monosodium urate in the body that can lead to the formation of stones in the kidneys. This type also is quite common and it also tends to run in families.

Struvite: This type is caused by an infection in the upper urinary tract and is not that common.

Cystine: This type is the least common and tends to be hereditary. It happens when there is too much cystine in the urine, caused by a rare disorder called ‘cystinuria’.

Now that we know that calcium oxalate kidney stones are the most common, we must ensure that we don’t let the citrate and pH levels of our urine drop too low because that creates the perfect circumstances for kidney stones to form. Let’s understand how we can do this.

A healthy diet and kidney stones

When there is too little urine citrate, calcium stones tend to form. When the pH level of our urine is too low, or it is acidic, uric acid or cystine stones tend to occur. Both of these can be prevented by drinking a lot of fluids and reducing the acidity levels of our urine by eating alkaline foods like leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, etc.

What are citrate drinks for kidney stones?

However, if someone has chronic kidney stones, doctors suggest alkali citrate drinks. These less acidic drinks are combined with minerals like potassium citrate to help increase the citrate levels and the pH levels in our urine. Alakali citrate is available in most pharmacies too.

How does alkali citrate work?

As we discussed earlier, when calcium that is in the urine combines with oxalate, kidney stones form. What if there was a way to prevent this bond or crystallization? That’s exactly what alkali citrate does.

Any good alkali citrate helps increase urine citrate and urine pH in the body. Due to an increase in the urine citrate, the chances of calcium stones being formed are reduced. Similarly, the increased urine pH prevents uric acid and cystine stones from occurring.

Why don’t all citrate drinks for kidney stones work?

While it is true that lemon juice or similar citrus-based drinks can help increase urine citrate, they often don’t contain enough key nutrients that arrest the formation of stones.

At the end of the day, it is important to keep your kidneys well-hydrated. Citrate drinks for kidney stones can be really helpful when you have kidney stones or have had them in the past. However, in most cases, just plain water can do wonders for our body. Just keep sipping a little at a time, at regular intervals.