Where does oxalate go in the body? Research link here, looking at how "a soluble oxalate-rich diet induces stable stages of CKD in male and female C57BL/6 mice." pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26764204/
Two things here: 1. The oxalate source in the research was the DIET.
This is not genetic hyperoxaluria. In genetic hyperoxaluria, the oxalate is being made by the body. This is also called "endogenous" oxalate production.
2. Oxalate affects the lab animals SYSTEMICALLY. From the abstract: "Within 3 wk, the mice reproducibly develop normochromic anemia, metabolic acidosis, hyperkalemia, FGF23 activation, hyperphosphatemia, and hyperparathyroidism." None of that is good news.
Further, oxalate can affect heart health. "[T]he model [of induced hyperoxaluria] is characterized by profound arterial hypertension as well as cardiac fibrosis that persist following the switch to a control diet." Note that last part - persists AFTER the switch to control diet.
If cardiovascular disease is one of our biggest killers, perhaps we should be looking at how those who eat "healthy" and yet get CVD could be the canaries in the coal mine. What if a healthy diet is good - but high oxalate in that healthy diet is potentially very bad?
Have been reminded again about the obsession in the nutrition world with chia seeds. Look - seeds don't *want* to be eaten unless your digestive tract is a way to get them planted and germinated. Period. Otherwise, seeds are as uninterested in being eaten as anything else.
With this in mind, I offer the oxalate level in chia seeds. They were tested by the Trying Low Oxalates group (where I'm on the senior team). These things are a whopping 94.8 mg for a tablespoon (just under 10 grams). This is not "gut friendly".
The majority of the oxalate in there is insoluble; in other words the pointy, crystal type. These can be seen in a variety of shapes. One of them is raphides, which are going to be particularly fun as they pass through the gut.
It’s a similar issue with oxalate. It is found in plants (not animal products); our increased consumption and focus on the highest oxalate plants as “healthy” has unnaturally skewed our intake much higher. No seasonality to protect us against oxalate either.
Note that increasing levels of fructose in our diet leads to higher endogenous (metabolic) oxalate production as well. We do know that kidney stones are higher risk when people are overweight or obese. Could fructose intake be part of that risk? pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20842614/
Here is a study that talks urinary oxalate levels and obesity. We know that the two are related and that kidney disease is a risk of obesity. Is higher urinary oxalate part of the reason the kidneys become compromised? pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31045662/
If you really want a superfood, eat liver! It has no plant toxins (oxalate, phytate, lectins, etc) and is packed with bio available nutrients. This is nature’s multivitamin. 👍🏻
Nothing is as nutrient dense, bite for bite, as animal products and liver (as well as other organ meats) is an overachiever among animal products. Just keep in mind that serving size matters and you don’t want too much. Too much can be as bad as too little.
While unusual, eating a lot of liver can contribute to vitamin a toxicity and high purines can trigger gout. It’s a great example of how we want nutrients in a good range to support our health; more is not always better.
@chuksolisaeke@keto_canadian@DaddyOh From the discussion of the study: "Prior studies have demonstrated that vinegar prevents urinary calcium oxalate crystal formation through its influence on urinary citrate and calcium excretion and may be associated with decreased risk of stone formation."
@chuksolisaeke@keto_canadian@DaddyOh "Despite these possible benefits, the alkali content in apple cider vinegar on a per serving basis is minimal and it is unlikely that most patients would consume sufficient apple cider vinegar to match the alkali
content found in commercial pharmacologic supplements."
From the conclusion of the article: “Oxalate is a terminal end product of metabolism in humans with no known role”. In other words, you can’t use it; oxalate is an end product you need to get rid of. mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/9…
Another quote: “It is predominantly eliminated by the kidneys through glomerular filtration and tubular secretion. Intestinal secretion of oxalate also contributes to its elimination, but to a much lesser extent.” In other words, you can get rid of it in stool.
Of note, particularly for those who think dietary oxalate is pretty benign: “Accumulating evidence from animal and human studies suggests that dietary oxalate may have a greater impact on kidney function than previously recognized.”
@mickbabesandy@deNutrients We don’t have people looking at oxalate accumulation until kidneys are damaged. So there are so many ways our testing may not reflect risk or health issue - because we aren’t looking for it! We also don’t test blood levels: we only test urine (again, unless kidneys are damaged).