All Juiced Up

Cranberry juice is the go-to juice for most bacterial urinary tract infections, but it won't be of much help in stopping kidney stones. What will help is orange or grapefruit juice.

Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas asked 13 volunteers (some with a history of kidney stones and some without) to drink 13 ounces of distilled water three times a day for a week, then switch to orange juice for a week, then to lemonade.

They found that orange juice helps prevent kidney stones by increasing citrate levels and decreasing the crystallization of uric acid and calcium oxalate - both key to the formation of kidney stones. Water and lemonade did not.

While citrate can be found in other juices such as cranberry and lemonade, chemistry sorts out which juice fights kidney stone formation. With cranberry and lemonade, any positive effects of citrate are counteracted by accompanying hydrogen ions. But with orange and grapefruit juices the citrate is accompanied by a potassium ion, making it beneficial in reducing kidney stone formation.

But when it comes right down to it, don't debate cranberry versus orange. Remember that the most important factor in good health is consuming a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables daily.

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