VIA AJC:

The New York Times is reporting a large increase in kidney stones being found in U.S. children. The trend is believed to be caused by too much salt and not enough water in kids’ diets.

The story reports: ” ‘What we’ve really seen is an increase in the salt load in children’s diet,’ said Dr. Bruce L. Slaughenhoupt, co-director of pediatric urology and of the pediatric kidney stone clinic at the University of Wisconsin. He and other experts mentioned not just salty chips and French fries, but also processed foods like sandwich meats; canned soups; packaged meals; and even sports drinks like Gatorade, which are so popular among schoolchildren they are now sold in child-friendly juice boxes.”

“Children also tend not to drink enough water. ‘They don’t want to go to the bathroom at school; they don’t have time, so they drink less,’ said Dr. Alicia Neu, medical director of pediatric nephrology and the pediatric stone clinic at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore. Instead, they are likely to drink only once they’re thirsty — but that may be too little, too late, especially for children who play sports or are just active.”

…….WHAT ARE KIDNEY STONES?……
Forty to 65 percent of kidney stones are formed when oxalate, a byproduct of certain foods, binds to calcium in the urine. (Other common types include calcium phosphate stones and uric acid stones.) And the two biggest risk factors for this binding process are not drinking enough fluids and eating too much salt; both increase the amount of calcium and oxalate in the urine. (SOURCE)