Relative importance of urinary sulfate and net acid excretion as determinants of calciuria in normal subjects.

In normal subjects fed western-mixed diets, in the fasting state, 39.6% of the variance of calciuria is accounted for by net acid excretion and 4% by sulfaturia. In the postprandial period, net acid accounts for 6.9% and sulfaturia for 11.8% of the variance of calciuria. As expected, after a load of ammonium chloride, net acid excretion exceeded the importance of sulfaturia (36.2% vs. 8.4%) and the opposite was observed after DL-methionine load (1.5% and 46.2%). A group of normal subjects fed vegetarian diets was also investigated. The excretion of the three variables measured were significantly reduced in this group when compared with that of the former group. In the fasting state the variance of calciuria was accounted mainly by net acid excretion (85.7%). In the postprandial state net acid (4.9%) and sulfate (2.2%) had much less importance as determinants of calciuria. It is concluded that in spite of their metabolic relationship, net acid and sulfate excretions are independent determinants of calciuria. The relative importance of each variable changes as a function of metabolic circumstances.