Researchers from a 2022 study published in Frontiers in Nutrition analyzed the relationship between caffeine consumption and kidney stone risk in over 30,000 participants with a medical history of kidney stones. The study findings showed a connection between caffeine consumption and a reduced risk for developing kidney stones. However this link was only observed in white participants, and was more significant amongst women and people who were not classified as overweight. Coffee, specifically, was found to have a greater effect on kidney stone risk reduction than other caffeinated foods and beverages.
An earlier 2014 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition yielded similar results, in which researchers also identified a link between caffeine consumption and a reduced risk of kidney stones. The study team analyzed data from three different ongoing studies. Among participants in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS), people who consumed the greatest amounts of caffeine were 26% less likely to develop kidney stones. This statistic jumped to 29% among people in the Nurses’ Health Studies (NHS) I, and climbed to 31% for individuals in the Nurses’ Health Studies (NHS) II. While caffeine is thought to be the primary contributing factor in the association between coffee and kidney stones, the researchers noted that decaffeinated coffee has also produced similar results. While not nearly as much as caffeinated coffee, decaf coffee does have a small amount of caffeine.
