Health Check: Can eating too much broccoli cause kidney stones?

When you grow up being told time and time again “eat your broccoli or else you won’t get any dessert”, it may come as a bit of a surprise to find out that broccoli isn’t the super vegetable you were led to believe it is.

Kidney stones form when your urine contains high levels of crystal-forming substances, such as calcium, oxalate, and uric acid. If the levels are too high, your body has a hard time diluting and separating these crystals, leading to the formation of kidney stones. While they have no single definitive cause, they are often the result of a lack of water, and have even be tied to excess consumption of vitamin D and calcium supplements.

However, what many people don’t know is that kidney stones can also be caused by too much broccoli! Calcium stones, the most common type of kidney stones, are usually found in the form of calcium oxalate, a naturally occurring substance found in foods. So unsurprisingly, eating food high in oxalates increases your risk of forming kidney stones. While most vegetables are relatively low in oxalates, certain vegetables such as broccoli, artichokes, carrots, and onions are much higher, with up to 10 milligrams of oxalates per serving.

According to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, you should aim to consume no more than 45 milligrams of oxalates per day, and ensure your water intake is up to scratch. While this isn’t a surefire method to prevent kidney stones, it certainly reduces the risk.

Now, all of this shouldn’t put you off broccoli for good. Despite its shady background, it still has its benefits. Eating a high amount of cruciferous vegetables has been associated with a lower risk of cancer, as well as improving bone health and fighting skin damage to keep you looking young. So, rather than cutting it out altogether, just reduce the serving size (saving more room for dessert!).

Angela Goh

Photo: Getty Images

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