Obesity, weight gain can boost risk of kidney stones: study

WASHINGTON, Jan 25 (AFP) - Obesity and weight gain can increase the risk of developing kidney stones, according to a new study released Tuesday.
Researchers believe that a larger body size leads to increased excretion in the urine of calcium and uric acid, thus boosting chances for calcium-containing kidney stones, the study noted.
The study, to be published in the January 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), found that men weighing more than 100 kilos (220 pounds) had a 44 percent greater risk of developing kidney stones than men weighing 68 kilos (150 pounds) or less.
Women between the ages of 27 and 44 who weighed over 100 kilos had a sharply higher risk of developing kidney stones (92 percent), while those aged 34-59 with a similar weight had an 89 percent greater risk.
Men who gained more than 15 kilos after the age of 21 saw their risk climb 39 percent, compared with men who maintained their weight.
Led by Eric Taylor of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, the study looked at more than 200,000 people.

01/25/2005 21:03 GMT - AFP