The kidneys can be protected from free-radical damage, a major factor in renal health, by supplementing with vitamin E. Vitamin E has been shown to restore tubular flow to rats with severe kidney disease by suppressing the free radicals that cause tubulointerstitial damage. Homocysteine can be very damaging to kidneys. Although dialysis had the effect of lowering homocysteine levels, folic acid further reduced homocysteine levels and, more importantly, had long-term effects even after folic acid supplementation was withdrawn. Homocysteine concentrations remained decreased in 20 patients four weeks after withdrawal of folic acid supplementation. The occurrence of kidney stones is one of the most common of all kidney problems.
Kidney stones are also one of the most painful of all health problems.
Kidney stones are solid, rock-like materials that form from the mineral substances contained in the urine. Most kidney stones consist of calcium combined with either oxalate or phosphate. Less common types of kidney stones include a struvite, or infection, stone and the uric acid stone. Even more rare are kidney stones that are made up of cystine. Evidence shows that cystine-based stones tend to run in families.