Global Warming...and Kidney Stones?

We love that going green is all the rage these days because the earth needs to be healthy if we’re going to continue breathing fresh air and eating food. Unfortunately, as global warming continues and causes higher temperatures and dehydration, the number of kidney stone health diagnoses will rise too, according to researchers. In fact, researchers are predicting that there will be an increase of anywhere between 1.6 to 2.2 million more cases of kidney stones by 2050, and most of those will come from southern states known as the “kidney-stone belt.”

The increase in kidney stone health diagnoses isn’t limited to us here in the United States. Southern Europe and southeast Asia will also see a dramatic rise in the number of cases, researchers say.

"Climate change affects the nutrient composition of the plants that we grow and the animals that we eat. For example, fruits and vegetables are inhibitors of stones," says Kristina Penniston, a registered dietician at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison. “So the question then is, will people be eating less of that as temperatures rise because these things don't grow as abundantly? And will that then alter people's risk for stones?”

How have you changed to live a more eco-friendly life to improve your health? [HealthDay]