oxalate absorption

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15311007

J Urol. 2004 Sep;172(3):953-7.

Assessment of oxalate absorption from almonds and black beans with and without the use of an extrinsic label.
Chai W, Liebman M.

Department of Human Nutrition, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.

Abstract
PURPOSE: Oxalate bioavailability is an important determinant of whether the consumption of a particular food is a high risk in individuals predisposed to kidney stones. We estimated and compared oxalate absorption from a high oxalate containing legume (black beans) and a high oxalate containing nut (almonds). We also compared an isotope method using extrinsically labeled oxalate and an oxalate load method to assess oxalate absorption.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six male and 5 female subjects participated in the 4 oxalate load tests, namely almonds, almonds with 20 mg C2-oxalic acid, black beans and black beans with 20 mg C2-oxalic acid. Each treatment provided a total of 120 mg oxalate, after which timed urine samples were collected for the analysis of oxalate, calcium and creatinine.

RESULTS: Average oxalate absorption from the 2 almond treatments (5.9%) using the oxalate load method was significantly higher than that from the 2 black bean treatments (1.8%) during the 24-hour post-oxalate load collection period. In contrast, C2-oxalic acid absorption from the almond (7.9%) and black bean (8.6%) treatments did not significantly differ.

CONCLUSIONS: The higher oxalate absorption from almonds than from black beans suggests that the relative amount of soluble and insoluble oxalate in food has an important role in the determination of oxalate absorption. Since extrinsically provided C2-oxalate and oxalate naturally occurring in the high oxalate test foods appeared to be differentially absorbed, the data do not support the use of extrinsically labeled oxalate to assess food oxalate absorption.

PMID: 15311007 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


M

http://roosclues.blogspot.com/2010/12/oxalate-levels-of-foods.html

Quote:-

Oxalate Levels of Foods
I discovered about 3 years ago that Roo was reacting badly to the very highest oxalate foods, such as almonds, and took those out at that time. I revisited the issue about 6 months ago because Roo was having problems with urine leaking at night, and was stunned to discover that not only did he need to be on a low oxalate diet but that I also need it very much. This may be my primary food sensitivity.

Oxalates can cause the pain and exhaustion of ME/CFS (or at least contribute to them significantly), at least in part because oxalates injure and kill the mitochondria. They also keep good bacteria from being able to colonize the gut if the level of oxalate in the gut is too high. Oxalates can also cause the release of histamine and so can cause all of the same symptoms that histamine can.

Vitamin B6 inhibits the formation in the body of oxalate so a deficiency of this vitamin may predispose a person to have an oxalate problem, so there may be a correlation between Pyrroluria and having high oxalate levels.


For the past 6 months I have been struggling to follow the low oxalate diet using a variety of lists available online as guides, but the lists often don't agree with each other and this has been very frustrating for me. I finally created the list below by compiling information from the lists that are in the files section of the Trying_Low_Oxalates yahoo list, which has the most up-to-date lists. One reason why lists don't agree is that newer testing is using more reliable methods, so I gave preference to newer data when I had to make a choice. I can't guarantee that this information is correct, it's just the best I could come up with. I will update it as I get more information.



The foods with the very highest levels, that need to come out immediately when an oxalate problem is suspected (and should never be consumed by a person with a known oxalate processing problem), are:


almonds, amaranth, black beans, brazil nuts, beets (root and greens), buckwheat, cashew nuts, cannellini beans, chocolate, corn meal, cooked tomatoes, great northern beans, marshmallow root, milk thistle, navy beans, oil of oregano, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, pink beans, pinto beans, potato chips, potato flour, rice bran, rhubarb, sesame seeds and tahini, slippery elm bark, all soy, spinach, star fruit, sweet potatoes, teff (flour and whole grain), quinoa (whole grain), white bean flour, and yucca powder.


All meat and animal products are low (eggs, milk, butter)


Vegetables-
LOW- alfalfa sprouts, avocado, arugula, asparagus (boiled), banana pepper, fresh basil, bok choy, broccoli (boiled), broccoli raab, cabbage (all kinds), cauliflower, chives, cucumber, daikon radish, garlic, kale (1/2 cup, boiled at least 6 min), kohlrabi, all lettuce, mung bean sprouts, mushrooms, mustard greens (boiled), onions, green peas (boiled), raw tomato, snow peas, sweet bell peppers (red, orange, yellow but NOT green), radishes, shallots, yellow summer squash, all winter squash (acorn, butternut, pumpkin, etc), turnip (steamed or boiled), wakame, water chestnut, watercress, zucchini, rutabaga (1/2 cup, boiled 1 hour)


MEDIUM- artichoke (boiled), asparagus (steamed), Belgian endive, broccoli (steamed), Brussels sprouts, carrots (1/2 cup boiled), celeriac, collard greens (boiled), eggplant (high histamine!), fennel, grape leaves (one), green onion, jicama (peeled), kale (steamed 6 min), nori, olives, (5), red onion, green beans (vary- roma and runner are med cut and boiled, string are high?), snow peas


HIGH- Anaheim peppers, green bell pepper, brocollini (steamed), carrots (raw or steamed), celery, chard, chicory, hearts of palm, parsnip, potatoes (red without skins and boiled are lowest), tomatillo (one is medium), many green beans (pole, French fillet), leeks, nopali cactus, okra, parsley, sugar snap peas, purslane, radicchio, sorrel, sweet potato, green tomatoes, canned tomatoes, yams (in US yams are sweet potatoes)


Fruit-
LOW- apples, apricot (one), billberry (can get as jam), cantaloupe, sweet cherries, cranberries, dates, fresh fig, green grapes, huckleberries, lemon, lychee, mango, melon, oranges, passion fruit, peaches, yellow plum (most plums are low, some are medium), golden raisins, strawberry (less than 10), watermellon


MEDIUM- banana (half is low), Bosc pear, grapefruit (white), lime, papaya (1/4 cup), pears, pineapple (is high histamine), pomegranate, blueberries (1/2 cup), dried cranberries, dried cherries (1/3 cup), Italian prunes, tangerines, mandarins, nectarines, persimmon


HIGH- Anjou pears, dried apricots, blackberries, clementines, elderberries, grapefruit (pink), Hachiya persimmons, pomegranate, raspberries, gooseberries, goji berries, kiwi, citrus zest, currants, concord grapes, dried figs, guava


LOW FRUIT (and other) JUICES- apple, apricot, blackcurrant, cranberry, cherry, white grape, grapefruit, lemon , lime, noni, orange, pineapple, red currant juice, aloe vera juice (great for soothing, healing GI tract)


MEDIUM JUICE- carrot, coconut water, red grape, plum, pomegranate


HIGH- Kern’s apricot nectar


Seeds, Nuts Beans, and Grains
LOW- chestnuts (canned or roasted), coconut (milk is medium), flax seed, pumpkin seed (1/4 cup), 1 T pumpkin or sunflower seed butter, macadamia nuts (5 or fewer), red lentils (boiled 30 min), white rice, wild rice, black-eyed peas, split peas (both green and yellow), cellophane noodles (GF), Ancient Harvest quinoa spaghetti (1/2 cup)


MEDIUM- coconut milk, cashews, sunflower seed (1/4 cup), macadamia nuts (up to 25 nuts), pistachio (up to 25 nuts), pumpkin seeds (1/2 cup), walnuts (1/4 cup), popcorn (Orville Redenbocker’s is high), psyllium husks (1/2 cup), red kidney beans (1/2 cup), Tinkyada brown rice pasta, brown rice (1/2 cup), brown jasmine rice (1/2 cup), garbanzo beans (1/2 cup), lima beans, rice spring roll skins, millet (1/2 cup, boiled 30 min)


HIGH- Arrowhead Mills brown basmati rice, adzuki beans, black beluga lentils, fava beans, hazelnuts, hemp milk, green lentils, navy beans, poppy seeds, quinoa, red beans, rice milk, white beans, GF oats


Flours and Baking-
LOW- agave nectar, almond extract (pretty much all flavoring extracts), white chocolate, carob, coconut flour, guar gum, tapioca starch, baking soda, cornstarch, unflavored gelatin, rice starch, xylitol, stevia liquid (powder is high)


MEDIUM- flax seed meal, potato starch (1/2 cup), sweet rice (mochi) flour (1/2 cup), green pea flour, chick pea (garbanzo) flour, pumpkin seed flour (1/2 cup), wild rice flour (1/2 cup)


HIGH- arrowroot, brown rice flour, chestnut flour, Chatfield’s carob powder, carob chips, fava bean flour, millet flour, sorghum flour, stevia powder, white rice flour (especially Bob’s Red Mill stone ground)


Flavors, Spices, Other
LOW- vanilla, coconut oil (be careful- it kills bacteria, fungi, viruses and can cause die-off), olive oil, sesame oil (including toasted, great flavor), mace, maple syrup, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar (high histamine), capers, chives, cilantro, ginger root, bay leaves, prepared horseradish, saffron, green herbs (dill, basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, tarragon, etc), white pepper (black pepper is high), nutmeg (up to 3 tsp), sweet paprika, parsley (dried, 1 tsp), Torani chocolate syrup, peanut oil, tabasco sauce (up to 2 T)


MEDIUM- cardamom (1 tsp), cayenne (1 tsp), cinnamon (1/2 tsp), chili powder (1 tsp)


HIGH- allspice, anise, black pepper, celery seed, clove (ground), coriander seed, cumin, curry powder, fennel seed, turmeric


Tea, Beverages-
LOW- chamomile, fennel, hibiscus (?), licorice, mint/peppermint, Kukicha twig tea, nettle, Ojibwa tea, pau d’arco tea, roibos (?), rose hip tea, senna tea, yerba mate (medium), wine (high histamine), coffee


There is a lot of disagreement about black tea and green tea. It appears that if either is brewed very briefly, they may be medium oxalate, but if they are brewed longer they are high. This seems to vary quite a bit by brand of tea as well so I chose not to include either kind of tea here.

Pat Mayer said...
I find this so interesting because I have ME/CFS AND I am a kidney stone maker so thanks for the new list. My doctor, Kenneth Woliner, in Boca Raton, FL, has instructed me to take one TUMS with each meal because the oxalate binds with the calcium and is excreted through your stool rather than getting metabolized. He also recommends this (the TUMS) for anyone with interstitial cystitis. Great post. Thanks.

December 30, 2010 1:00 PM
Sierra said...
Pat- your doctor is on to something with the calcium, but TUMS is the wrong form- calcium citrate is better for this than calcium carbonate. The calcium citrate should be taken 30 min before eating. I think this is partially to minimize the effect that it has on stomach acid. Low stomach acid is common in adults (much more so than elevated stomach acid and has the same symptoms) and is a major cause of nutritional deficiencies in adults.

I think the TUMS will backfire because stomach acid is necessary to release calcium from foods, and and that calcium in turn is important for gut health and binding to oxalate. He is also right that it is much more beneficial to remove oxalate from the body via the stool than via the urinary system, and calcium can help with this. I have several other posts about oxalates with more info about supplements to help reduce oxalate levels. If you have kidney stones and ME/CFS then this diet is likely to help you a lot. If you try it let me know if it helps, okay? Thanks for your comment!

December 30, 2010 2:01 PM
Sierra said...
Kitty- yes, I am seeing a lot of progress on this diet for myself and for Roo. Detoxing oxalate (called "dumping" causes symptoms to flare up, so the process has it's ups and downs, but overall I am happy enough with the progress that I don't mind avoiding the foods so much. Also, I've noticed that after 6 months of eating low oxalate I tolerate higher levels of oxalate in foods much better than before, and have been able to begin eating cooked tomato sauce again for the first time in years, so I think some real healing is happening!

December 30, 2010 2:03 PM

Thanks for posting the list of oxalate foods.

I noticed,

"white rice flour"

Does this mean sour dough bread is out of the question?

Great post! Unfortunately I am still massively confused on what I should or shouldn't eat haha. I think I need to reduce my oxolate intake significantly. I think my number 1 issue is the amount of nuts I eat. I'm trying to rteduce it, but I sort of have an addiction going on. I figure it's better than eating grains, beans, or fruit.

One thing I eat WAY to much of is almonds. They're really that bad huh?

It's confusing when you see peanuts as being high and then peanut oil as low. I see you took a lot of time compiling this list, so thank you for that.

How do you think fish factors in here? I seem to have had a reaction to salmon the last time I had it although I always though it was perfectly safe and only beneficial.

Also, kinda off topic, but does anyone know of any reliable (and possibly cheap) food reaction and/or general environmental allergy tests?

Soak the almonds... - lots of people can explain on line...

How does one know if he/she has a sensitivity to oxalates? I just realized that many of the foods I eat are high in oxalates: coffee, dark chocolate, almonds...

mphatesmpb - I think if you go on a low oxalate diet for 1-2 weeks and you feel worse, you have an oxalate problem, as your body is getting rid of stored oxalates makes you feel worse. Not 100% though.

mphatesmpb on Fri May 27, 2011 8:48 am
How does one know if he/she has a sensitivity to oxalates? I just realized that many of the foods I eat are high in oxalates: coffee, dark chocolate, almonds...

I'd like to know as well. I have no problem with coffee or dark chocolate, but white rice flour, man that stuff just wrecks havoc in my stomach.

Coffee is fairly low in oxalate from my searches, so I believe that to be a mistake.

Anecdotally, I think oxalates are very important. It explained perfectly why I did poorly on certain foods, and why I did great on others. Foods like spinach, kale, almonds and brazil nuts I used to force myself to eat based on what I'd read, even though they made me feel worse. My health has been improving significantly in the last few weeks now that I've gone strictly low (and a few medium) oxalate foods.