Clinical effects of prophylactic dietary treatment on renal stones.

From the investigation of the dietary intake and habits of male Japanese renal stone patients we established several general guidelines. Fluid intake should be increased, especially after dinner. Unbalanced diets should be corrected and avoided (the diet should include different types of food, with vegetables being eaten at every meal and an excessive intake of meat should also be avoided). Three meals a day should be eaten and an excessive intake at dinner should be avoided. The interval from dinner until retiring should be extended. By following these individual dietary guidelines the stone recurrence rate in 199 male calcium stone patients who had received individual dietary instruction decreased remarkably compared to that in male calcium stone patients who had not received individual dietary instruction, not only during the period of outpatient visits but also after outpatient visits were discontinued. From these results we conclude that individual dietary management should be the primary measure for the prophylaxis of renal stone disease in Japan.