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 Studies
have shown that people taking Xenical, a drug used to fight obesity,
might be prone to the development of kidney stones, particularly
if their diet contains a high amount of oxalate-rich foods. A study
was performed to find out the effects of Xenical using 39 adult
rats that were given a diet filled with oxalate-rich foods or foods
with both oxalate and fat (soy oil).
It was discovered that with Xenical, oxalate levels appeared in
the urine four to eight times higher than the baseline value. This
is believed to lead to the formation of kidney stones.
Based on these findings, doctors were advised to question their
patients about any history of kidney stones before prescribing the
drug to them. They also recommended cautioning their patients to
limit the amount of oxalate-rich foods they consumed when taking
the medication.
Examples of foods that contain high levels of oxalate include spinach,
rhubarb, chocolate, tea, parsley, beetroot, strawberries, wheat
flour, pepper and some nuts.
Researchers stated that a long-term clinical trial with a controlled
diet was needed to confirm the effects of Xenical and its association
with an increased risk of kidney stones.
Yahoo
News July 23, 2004
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