Can Your Favorite Drinks Lead to Kidney Stones?

Kidney stones are hard clumps made of minerals and salts that build up in your kidneys.
Kidney stones can form when certain things in your body are out of balance. Common causes include the following:

• Low water intake - Not drinking enough leads to concentrated urine, which helps stones form.
• High salt diet - Too much salt makes you lose calcium in urine, raising stone risk.
• Too much animal protein - This can increase acid levels in urine, helping stones develop.
• Too much sugar - Sugar, especially in drinks, can change how your body handles minerals.
• Family history - If someone in your family had stones, your risk may be higher.
• Lack of movement - Being inactive for long periods may lead to stone formation.

Yes, what you drink can definitely play a role in kidney stone risk - even if it doesn’t seem like a big deal.

Some drinks can throw off your body’s balance and make it easier for stones to form. Even healthy-looking options might have stuff that quietly affects your kidneys over time.

Just pay a little more attention to what’s in your cup to avoid problems down the road.

Which ingredients in drinks might lead to kidney stone formation?

• Caffeine - It may cause dehydration, which makes kidney stones more likely to form.
• Oxalates - Found in some teas, they can stick to calcium and form stones.
• Sugar - Especially high-fructose corn syrup, can increase calcium and uric acid in urine.
• Sodium - Often found in processed drinks, too much can raise calcium in urine.

Some drinks can raise your risk of kidney stones, especially if you consume them often and skip proper hydration.

Avoid drinks that are high in sugar, caffeine, or oxalates. Common examples include:

• Soda - High in sugar and acid, which may cause stones.
• Sweetened juices - Can increase stone risk if they contain added sugars.
• Black tea - High in oxalates that may form stones in some people.
• Alcohol - May lead to dehydration, which raises stone risk.
• Energy drinks - Often contain caffeine and sugar, both of which affect the kidneys.

Safer options include water, lemon water, and low-oxalate herbal teas to help protect kidney health.

Some drinks can lower your risk of kidney stones by keeping your urine less concentrated and helping your body flush minerals.

The best options are simple, low in sugar, and support healthy kidney function. Helpful drinks include:

• Water - The most important drink for preventing kidney stones and staying hydrated.
• Lemon water - Contains citrate, which may help prevent stone-forming minerals from sticking together.
• Coconut water - May help flush out minerals and reduce crystal formation in urine.
• Low-oxalate herbal teas - Safer than black or green tea for people who are sensitive to oxalates.
• Diluted fruit juices - Like orange juice or apple juice, can be helpful in small amounts if they are low in sugar.

Soda might raise your risk of kidney stones because of its high sugar and acid content.

It can affect how your kidneys handle minerals, making it easier for stones to form over time. The acids in soda may also change your urine’s balance by lowering its pH (a measure of how acidic something is), creating conditions where stones are more likely to develop.

If you often drink soda and not enough water, the risk gets even higher. Cutting back can make a big difference.

Can diet soda cause kidney stones?

Even without sugar, diet soda still has acids that may affect your kidneys in similar ways.

Some also contain artificial sweeteners and ingredients that can lower your urine pH.

If you’re drinking diet soda often without enough water, the risk can still go up. It's better to keep it occasional.

Tea can raise the risk of kidney stones because it contains oxalates (natural compounds).

Oxalate in urine can stick to calcium and form crystals, which is one of the main causes of kidney stones.

This can lead to stone formation, especially if you're not drinking enough water to flush things out.

Some people are more sensitive to oxalates than others, so tea affects them more. For most people, moderate tea intake with enough water isn't likely to cause problems.

What about green and black tea?

• Black tea has more oxalates than green tea, so it may raise the risk more, especially for people who’ve had stones before.
• Green tea has fewer oxalates and might be a safer pick, though large amounts still aren’t a good idea.

If you're trying to avoid stones, it’s best to limit both and focus on low-oxalate drinks instead.

Hard water contains more calcium and magnesium, which might slightly increase the risk of kidney stones in some people.

Studies show that in healthy individuals, drinking hard water does not seem to significantly increase the risk of kidney stones overall. Although some groups - like older adults and women - may be more affected.

People with a history of stones may want to check their total calcium intake, including from food and water.

If you are unsure, using filtered water or talking to a doctor may help lower any personal risk.

Cranberry juice is often linked to urinary health, but it might not be the best choice for everyone with kidney stones.

It contains acids and oxalates (natural compounds that can bind with calcium), which could raise the risk for some people.

If you’ve had calcium oxalate stones before, drinking too much cranberry juice might actually make things worse.

Small amounts may be fine, but it’s smart to talk to a doctor before making it a regular part of your routine.

Matcha is a type of powdered green tea that contains oxalates, which can lead to kidney stones in some people.

Because matcha uses the whole tea leaf, it usually has more oxalates than regular green tea.

Large amounts of matcha may increase the risk of kidney stones, especially for people who already have them before.

To reduce your risk, drink matcha in small portions and make sure you also drink enough water daily.

Coffee might affect your risk of kidney stones, but it really depends on how much you drink and how your body reacts.

Caffeine in coffee can raise calcium levels in your urine, which may increase the chance of stone formation for some people.

But on the other hand, there is a claim that moderate coffee might help by making you urinate more often.

If you’ve had kidney stones before, it’s best to keep your coffee intake low and watch how your body responds.