Dietary therapy for patients with hypocitraturic nephrolithiasis.

Citrate is an inhibitor of urinary stone formation. Clinical and in vitro data suggest that increasing urine citrate levels will decrease the precipitation of calcium stones. Historically, low urinary citrate has been treated with oral potassium citrate or sodium citrate supplementation, but recent studies have shown the potential of dietary interventions to raise urine citrate levels. Dietary therapy with commercial or homemade beverages is attractive to patients who would prefer nonpharmacological intervention. To date, several drinks have shown promise but no single beverage has been found to consistently raise urine citrate levels in a reproducible fashion. Further research is necessary to develop the ideal dietary therapy for hypocitraturic calcium nephrolithiasis.