What are the carbohydrate intake recommendations for the treatment of hypercalciuria?

Updated: Apr 23, 2019
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Several large population studies have investigated the issue of the potential contribution of a high-carbohydrate diet to stone production. For example, Curhan found that carbohydrates were not a significant risk factor for stone formation in men but that they were associated with increased stone production in women. Some investigators found that stone formers tend to have a higher carbohydrate intake than non ̶ stone formers, but other researchers have failed to confirm this association.

Good evidence indicates that a high-carbohydrate diet causes an increase in urinary calcium excretion because of decreased distal renal tubular calcium reabsorption and an increase in intestinal calcium absorption. There is also evidence to indicate that excessive carbohydrate loading can increase endogenous oxalate production. This seems reasonable, because glucose is involved in oxalate metabolism through a series of chemical interactions with glyoxylate. (Glyoxylate is involved not only in the metabolism of endogenous oxalate but also in the gluconeogenesis pathway and urea metabolism.)

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