A new research claims, the high level of zinc in the body may contribute to kidney stone formation. Zinc is key nutrient that is required for body. It may be the core by which stone formation starts, showed the results that might ultimately lead to the identification of new preventive and therapeutic approaches for urinary stone and diseases related to it. The study appeared in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.
Oysters, red meat, poultry and seafood such as crab and lobsters are rich sources of zinc. Drinking too little water, exercise (too much or too little), obesity, weight loss surgery or eating too much salt or sugar in the food , Infections and family history are the possible causes of kidney stones, according to the National Kidney Foundation, US.
In the study, scientists examined humans and fruit flies to explore the interplay of zinc with oxalate, calciumand other minerals which form kidney stones.
"The ultimate goal of our research team is to prevent kidney stone formation and to understand the mechanisms by which they form a part of that effort," said lead author Thomas Chi, assistant professor of medicine at the University of California - San Francisco. "Kidney stones are hard, often jagged masses of crystallized minerals that form in the kidney." Chi said "The idea made sense because our most recent research demonstrates that zinc is important for the mineralization and calcification processes that lead to urinary stones,".
The results showed that changes in oxalate levels in the urine, which is a known risk factor for kidney stones, tracked well with dietary zinc intake: as zinc dropped, urinary oxalate changed dramatically.
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