Just Ask Terry

Terry is happy to provide his opinion on diet and nutrition, supplements and lifestyle choices. This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to replace the advice of your physician and is not to be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you have any concerns please contact your physician directly.

Q. Dear Terry, “What can a person do to prevent kidney stones? I have had the oxalate kind. I already watch my diet. Are there supplements that can help? They are perfectly dreadful—when I had one, I thought I was going to die.” —Lydia S., Newark, NJ A. Dear Lydia, You are right, passing a kidney stone is incredibly painful and I wouldn’t wish this condition on anyone. In addition to your diet, there is one dietary supplement in particular that I would recommend. In a very recent study from the University of Bonn in Germany, it was found that intake of the omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA (found in fish) significantly decreased urinary oxalate excretion. [Siener R, Hesse A, et a."Effect of n-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation on Urinary Risk Factors for Calcium Oxalate Stone Formation." J Uro. Dec 18, 2010] Reducing the amount of oxalate takes away the raw materials from which a kidney stone is made. In fact, excretion was reduced by 23% after only 30 days of omega 3 supplementation. I highly recommend an omega 3 product from salmon that is not a fish oil. Unfortunately, the omega 3 fatty acids in fish oil are very poorly absorbed because they are attached to triglycerides, and you have to take a huge number of capsules or spoonfuls of oil to get enough in your body to make a difference. In the omega 3 product I prefer, the omega 3 fatty acids (EPA, DHA) are naturally attached to phospholipids, and they are absorbed about 50 times better than those found in fish oil. That means you only need to take one or two tablets a day to get tremendous results. Healthy Regards! Terry . . . Naturally