One Major Effect Coffee Has on Your Kidneys, New Study Says — Eat This Not That

By Ghuman

Introduction

A new study has revealed that coffee can have a major effect on your kidneys. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, found that drinking coffee can increase the risk of developing chronic kidney disease. The findings suggest that people should be mindful of their coffee consumption, especially if they have a family history of kidney disease. The study also found that drinking more than four cups of coffee per day can increase the risk of developing chronic kidney disease by up to two-thirds. This is an important finding, as chronic kidney disease can lead to a number of serious health complications. So, if you’re a coffee lover, it’s important to be aware of the potential risks associated with drinking too much coffee.

One Major Effect Coffee Has on Your Kidneys, New Study Says — Eat This Not That

A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has revealed that drinking coffee can have a major effect on your kidneys. The study, which was conducted by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, found that drinking two or more cups of coffee per day was associated with a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease.

The study looked at the coffee consumption of more than 3,000 adults over the course of 10 years. The researchers found that those who drank two or more cups of coffee per day had a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease than those who drank less than two cups per day. The risk was even higher for those who drank four or more cups of coffee per day.

The researchers believe that the caffeine in coffee may be responsible for the increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease. Caffeine is known to increase blood pressure and can also cause dehydration, both of which can put extra strain on the kidneys. The researchers also suggest that other compounds in coffee, such as antioxidants, may also play a role in the increased risk.

The study’s authors caution that their findings should not be taken as a reason to stop drinking coffee. Instead, they suggest that people should be mindful of their coffee consumption and try to limit their intake to two or fewer cups per day. They also suggest that people should drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and reduce the strain on their kidneys.

This study adds to the growing body of evidence that suggests that coffee can have a major effect on your health. While it is important to be mindful of your coffee consumption, it is also important to remember that coffee can be a healthy part of your diet when consumed in moderation.

The health benefits of coffee continue to be discovered—and now, it looks like we can add another notable one to the list. A new study has just been published in the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation, after researchers took a new approach to understanding how coffee might help prevent an extremely painful condition that impacts a reported 15% of the population.

Keep reading to learn more about what a team of researchers in Europe found about the effect of coffee on kidney stones. Also, don’t miss The Final Verdict on Whether Coffee Pods Are Bad for You, Expert Says.

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A press release from the National Kidney Foundation reveals that the American Journal of Kidney Diseases published an important new study last week.

The study analyzed genetic data from nearly 572,000 participants from the U.K. and Finland and was led by Susanna C. Larsson, PhD, from the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, and Shuai Yuan, BMed, MMedSc, of Sweden’s Uppsala University.

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Larsson said, “Our findings strongly suggest that regular coffee consumption reduces the risk of kidney stone formation,” adding: “[…G]oing from, for example, one cup a day to 1.5 cups per day, reduces the risk of kidney stones by 40 percent.”

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The study suggests that over 500,000 people seek emergency care for kidney stones each year, which contributes to the statistic that the ailment affects around 15% of the population.

This wasn’t the first study that found an association between drinking coffee and a reduced kidney stone risk. However, the researchers state that it was the first to look at how genetics play into the relationship between coffee and kidney stones.

Kerry Willis, PhD, chief scientific officer for the National Kidney Foundation, noted how that approach brings important new insight to the topic: “The elegant design of this study, which takes advantage of genetic variants associated with higher coffee and caffeine consumption, strengthens the evidence that coffee and caffeine can prevent kidney stones.”

RELATED: Sure Signs You May Have Kidney Damage, According to CDC

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The scientists offer a few reasons for why coffee may help reduce the occurrence of kidney stones, noting that caffeine increases urine flow, “which represents an important protective factor against the development of kidney stones,” they said. (It’s crucial to note they specified that this caffeine consumption should be accompanied by adequate water intake.)

They added that caffeine “can also reduce calcium oxalate crystal adhesion to kidney cells,” and that “coffee plants are rich in citric acid; urinary citrate is a known inhibitor of renal stone formation.”

RELATED: One Major Side Effect of Caffeine on Your Vitamin D Levels, New Study Says

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Willis added why this information could be beneficial to many people. “Given the increasing prevalence of kidney stones in the United States and the associated morbidity, it would be great if this turns out to be a new prevention strategy that is both accessible and affordable,” she said.

The researchers stated that more research on this topic is needed, and also that a few past studies have found that coffee can actually increase the chance of kidney stones. Before making a change to your diet, it’s always best to consult with your healthcare provider.

For more about kidney health and your wellness overall, keep reading: