Bacterium May Reduce Kidney Stone Risk

A common intestinal bacterium is associated with a significant reduction in the risk for kidney stones, a new study has found.

The bacterium, Oxalobacter formigenes, lives in the intestinal tracts of as many as three-quarters of normal adults. There it helps to digest a salt called oxalate that occurs in many vegetables, especially spinach, beets and nuts. Most kidney stones are made primarily of calcium oxalate.

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