Dietary habits of patients with renal stone disease in Greece

Objective: To assess the dietary habits of 62 renal stone patients and to r elate their diet to the likelihood of nephrolithiasis. Subjects and methods: All subjects completed a dietary questionnaire includ ing questions regarding anthropometric characteristics, dietary habits and food consumption frequencies. Subjects were grouped according to sex. Results: Sixty per cent of the subjects were male and 40% female. Seventy-n ine per cent of the patients were obese (BMI > 25). The percentage of obese individuals was higher for men (84%) than for women (72%). Furthermore, BM I increased with age with a peak at the age of 50 years. All subjects had a high meat intake indicating a high animal protein consumption. Forty-two p er cent of the subjects consume meat 5-8 times per week and 24% consume mea t 9-12 times per week. All subjects had a low milk and dairy products intak e as well as low vegetable and fruit intake, indicating a strong possibilit y of low calcium and fibre intake. Conclusion: The results of the dietary surrey recorded a diet which is asso ciated with an increased risk of nephrolithiasis. The majority of the subje cts were obese, had a high intake of animal protein from meat, a low intake of foods rich in calcium and a low number of meals per day.