Excess Body Weight Is Linked to Kidney Stones

Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have determined that the more overweight a person is the more likely he or she will be to form uric-acid kidney stones. These findings are the first to directly link excess body fat with this particular type of kidney stone, a type prevalent in 5% of kidney-stone patients and 30% of diabetic patients with kidney stones. It is estimated that 10% of Americans will have a kidney stone at some point in their life. Khashayar Sakhaee, MD, of the General Clinical Research Center at UT Southwestern, remarked, "This is yet another price to pay for being overweight or obese."