Mild Weekly Exercise Helps Prevent Kidney Stones in Women

Health professionals across the country know that exercise is a key ingredient in overall fitness. Not only does it help people maintain a healthy weight, but it can also help you to lose weight, build stronger bones and develop a stronger heart.

Thanks to a new study, researchers can add one more benefit to the list when it comes to regular exercise, for women in particular. Results show that being active may help prevent kidney stones in women.

Study results show that heavy weight-lifting or intense cardio are not the trick to gain these benefits. In fact, you don't even really have to break a sweat. All you need is mild activity of walking two to three hours a week to cut the risk of kidney stones by about one-third.

Kidney stones, also known as rental lithiasis, are small, hard deposits that form inside your kidneys, according to the Mayo Clinic The stones are made of mineral and acid salts, and can affect any part of your urinary tract-from your kidneys to your bladder. Often stones form when urine becomes concentrated, allowing minerals to crystallize and stick together.

Passing kidney stones are known to be quite painful, but they have no permanent damage. For some, medication and lots of fluid can be enough to pass them. However, for others, surgery may be necessary.

Kidney stones are on the increase, partly because of rising obesity. About 9 percent of people will get one sometime in their life.

The study involved 85,000 women 50 and older. Those who got the equivalent of four hours of light gardening or an hour of jogging each week had lower chances of kidney stones than women who got no regular exercise.

Results were to be discussed Friday at an American Urological Association conference in San Diego.