Hello:

<<


>Hi Mahesh,
>You have asked for citations to studies in support of claims others are
>making, yet you have offered none.
>
>Your perspective is a common one, yet the evidence does not support it.
>
>>

"
It has been discovered that avoiding calcium may do more harm
than good when it comes to kidney stone sufferers who have,
in the past, been warned to avoid foods rich in calcium.

 According to a study of over 45,000 men conducted by the
Harvard School of Public Health, men who get lots of calcium
in their diets have a one-third lower risk of having kidney
stones than do those who consume calcium sparingly.

 It seems that high dietary calcium actually blocks a chemical
action which causes the formation of kidney stones by binding
with oxalates (from foods) in the intestine which then prevents
both from being absorbed into the blood stream and later
transferred to the kidneys. Urinary oxalate may be more
important to formation of calcium-oxalate kidney stone
crystals than is the urinary calcium.

However it must be quickly noted here that calcium supplements
increase kidney stone risks according to the
Annuals of Internal Medicine, March 1997.

 High normal dietary calcium reduces kidney stones by 35 percent,
 but high calcium from non-foods - like calcium supplements -
actually increase the risk of kidney stones by 20 percent.

That same Harvard study found that:

Those with the highest consumption of potassium, from eating
fruits and vegetables, had only half the risk of stones;
A high fluid intake was associated with a 29 percent lower risk;
and Those who ate the most animal protein had a
33 percent higher risk of developing kidney stones.

"

Mahesh Shah aka ElectronicBoy