A diet low in salt and meat can dramatically reduce the risk of kidney stones, according to an Italian study that could spell the end for the low-calcium diet that doctors have been recommending for years.

About 10% of the U.S. population - and a much larger percentage of men, who make up 80% of sufferers - will have at least one kidney stone sometime in their lives, and it can be excruciatingly painful. Most stones can be excreted, but in about 15% of cases, surgery or shockwave treatment to pulverize the stones is needed.

据意大利的一项研究表明，低盐低肉饮食可以显著降低患肾结石的危险，该研究还"终结"了医生已推荐了多年的防肾结石低钙饮食。?

美国人口中约有10%至少在一生中某时间患有一侧肾结石，其中男性比例要高得多，占患者的80%，患者有难以忍受的疼痛。大多数肾结石能排掉，但有大约15%的病例，需要动手术或用冲击波治疗才能粉碎肾结石。

Many doctors have told such patients to cut down on calcium because most kidney stones are made of a calcium compound. But recent studies have suggested that such a diet might not prevent kidney stones after all and may even promote them - along with osteoporosis.

The new study "dispelled a myth that a low-calcium diet is important in preventing kidney stones," said Dr. David A. Bushinsky, a kidney specialist at the University of Rochester.

许多医生曾告诉这些患者减少钙的摄入，因为大多数肾结石的成份是钙。但是最近的研究已表明，低钙饮食不仅不能预防肾结石，甚至会促使它的生成，还伴有骨质疏松。

罗切斯特大学的肾病专家David A.Bushinsky博士说："这项新研究打破了低钙饮食对防肾结石十分重要的神话。" ?

William Keane, president of the National Kidney Foundation, said he is sure the new diet "will become the gold standard."

Dr. Umberto Maggiore, explained that people on a low-calcium diet excrete less calcium in their urine but more of the other substance that combines with calcium to form most kidney stones.

In addition, salt and one protein common in meat lead to more calcium in the urine, which in turn contributes to the formation of kidney stones, Bushinsky said.

The low-salt, low-protein diet allowed 2,900 milligrams of salt per day; 2,400 is the maximum recommended by the American Heart Association. But people were allowed only about three-quarters of an ounce of meat per day, with just over an ounce of cheese or other dairy protein.

全国肾脏基金会主席William Keane说他确信新的饮食"将成为金标准"。

Umberto Magiore博士解释说，低钙饮食者虽在尿中只排出少量的钙，但多数与钙结合的其它物质形成了大部分肾结石。

Bushinsky说，此外，盐和肉中的常见蛋白质导致尿中有较多的钙，这样就促使肾结石的形成。

低盐低蛋白饮食允许每天摄入盐2,900毫克，美国心脏学会推荐的最大量是2,400毫克。而且人们每天只能摄入四分之三盎司的肉，和一盎司多一点的奶酪或其它乳蛋白。?

The American Foundation for Urologic Disease does not mention a low-calcium diet on its Web page about kidney stones, but does say a doctor may suggest a low-meat, low-salt diet. The National Kidney Foundation's Web page says a doctor may suggest either diet, depending on test results.

Health care for kidney stones added up to $1.8 billion in 1993, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Drinking 10 to 12 big glasses of water during the day can keep stones from forming and push out those smaller than a pea.

美国泌尿系统病基金会在它的网页上尚没有提及低钙饮食和肾结石关系，但该网页说医生应推荐低肉低盐饮食。全国肾脏基金会的网页说医生应根据检验结果推荐饮食。

据全国糖尿病、消化和肾病研究所介绍，用于肾结石的医疗保健费用在1993年就达到180亿美元。一天中喝10至20大杯水能阻止肾结石的形成，排出比豌豆还小的肾结石。