Does Hard Water Cause Kidney Stones?

According to numerous studies, there have been several experiments and outcomes associating kidney stones to water treatment. Research has confirmed that hard water and soft water can have different effects that link to kidney stones. So, does hard water cause kidney stones? This article will go into detail about how your water filtration treatment can affect the possibility of getting kidney stones or not.

Hard vs. Soft Water

Water can be categorized as soft or hard water. Hard water is water which contains many dissolved minerals, particularly magnesium and calcium. Soft water, on the other hand is treated water that only has sodium as the ion.

Both soft and hard water are associated with their own merits and demerits. Since there are essential minerals such as magnesium and calcium in hard water, which makes it more recommendable to drink.

Why Are These Minerals Always Removed from Hard Water?

One of the main demerits associated with hard water is that they leave traces of water on surfaces. For instance, using hard water while cleaning can leave water marks on appliances, etc. Using hard water to shower can also make your hair feel greasy.

Minerals present in hard water can cause a build-up to be experienced in different drain pipes; a factor that may go unnoticed until something actually goes wrong with your pipes. You may want to check on your pipes regularly or consult plumbers to check if everything is up to par.

Relationship Between Kidney Stones and Hard Water

It is yet to be proven if hard water can cause the formation of urolithiasis (i.e. kidney stones). Kidney stones are formed once urine containing high concentrations of crystal-forming elements such as calcium that makes the urine unable to be diluted.

Although hard water contains higher amounts of calcium in comparison to soft water, it hasn’t been proven that hard water is associated with causing kidney stones.

However, consuming soft water showed patients that previously had kidney stones removed had lower chances of suffering from the condition. Hard water with the hardness level of approximately 5 mmol/l being consumed often can make a person suffer from urolithiasis. Therefore, it’s recommended to start treating your water to prevent possibly getting kidney stones from water.

There has been a lot of speculation in regard to if hard water causes kidney stones even though there are benefits of water softener on skin. Although hard water does contain calcium in it, and calcium is known to cause kidney stones, there is no direct correlation between hard water and the cause of kidney stones. Therefore, always check the hardness level of your water to make sure that you are not drinking too much calcium and other minerals in your water.