Light Exercise Reduces Kidney Stone Risk in Women, Study Finds

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — About 10 percent of U.S. adults will get a renal calculus, or kidney stone. But new research finds that even a little exercise can make a big difference in lowering women’s risk for the kidney stone development.
 
The incidence of kidney stones, solid concretions or crystal aggregations formed in the kidneys from dietary minerals in the urine, has risen 70 percent over the last fifteen years, with women accounting for much of the rise.
 
Now a study presented to the American Urological Association finds that even light exercise can significantly lower the risk of kidney stones in women. According to the study, physically active women had about a 30-percent lower risk for kidney stones than women who did not exercise.
 
In one analysis, the risk reduction ranged as high as 80 percent.
 
Furthermore, the researchers found the intensity of the exercise did not matter, and that women who did minimal exercise benefited.
 
Doctors say the exercise likely prevents kidney stones from forming by changing how the body processes vitamins and minerals. Exercise can reduce cardiac risk factors such as
hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and cholesterol, which also lowers kidney stone risk.

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