Should I stop my calcium if I have kidney stones ?

Many kidney stone formers, especially women with kidney stones, question whether to stop or reduce their calcium intake.

Despite the fact that calcium is a major component of 75% of stones, excessive calcium intake is very rarely the cause of stone formation.

In fact, several studies have shown that restricting calcium intake in most stone formers actually increases the number of stones they develop.

This appears to happen because when less calcium is ingested, it becomes easier for oxalate (which normally binds with calcium in the gut) to be absorbed. Higher levels of oxalate in the urine then lead to an increase in stone risk.