Dietary effect of oxalate likely small
Dear Dr. Roach: My blood pressure crept up on me, and I went on medication. I had been eating what I thought was a healthy diet to keep my blood pressure in check. My nutritionist suggested to me I back off my handful of almonds daily and check my intake of other foods high in oxalates. Two weeks later, my blood pressure was normal. I stopped taking blood pressure medication, and after four years, my pressure has stayed low-to-normal.
D.
Answer: Oxalate is a plantderived chemical present in many foods — such as almonds, but also dark leafy greens such as chard and spinach. A low oxalate diet is often recommended in people with a history of calcium oxalate stones.
I could not find definitive proof that oxalates increase blood pressure in people with no history of kidney stones.
Individual trials showed that some high oxalate foods, such as beetroot juice and green tea, lowered blood pressure in healthy volunteers.
The DASH diet has been shown to reduce blood pressure. This is not a low oxalate diet, but was compared against a low oxalate diet in people with a history of kidney stones.
In the study, those who followed the DASH diet reduced their risk of kidney stones to a greater extent than those who consumed a low oxalate diet, suggesting the dietary effect of oxalate is small.
I’m glad your diet helped you, but since many foods high in oxalate are healthy for other reasons, I wouldn’t recommend a low oxalate diet without a good reason (like stones).
Dear Dr. Roach:
At my yearly physical exam, my creatinine was 1.11 (normal range 0.6-0.88). What do I need to do? Is it safe to use Tylenol?
Answer: The higher the creatinine number, the worse the kidney function. However, a fast increase is much more concerning than a slowly increasing level.
Most often, nothing needs to be done beyond making sure you aren’t hurting your kidneys. Anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen and naproxen are much more dangerous to your kidneys than Tylenol, which is safe if taken occasionally.