To Dairy or Not to Dairy: A Love Story with Oxalates

By Mary Ruddick

Oxalates and calcium can be a match made in heaven or a recommended divorce. If you have been confused over calcium's relationship with oxalates, read on!

The greatest cupid arrows of dietary dogma have been shot from the bow of the lab coat. You see, when a food is broken down into it's particulars (in a lab setting), it is done so outside of the context of the human digestive process. These newly isolated substances are mistakenly presented as solitary agents when the journalists get their hands on them. Take lycopene, an antioxidant from tomatoes. Advertised as THE THING to save your loved ones from cancer and heart disease. Countless tomatoes were taken home as a prized health food to nourish families. Problem is, these darn tomatoes have a lot more to them than just lycopene. I'd even go as far as to say they are the "Tinder Swindler" of the supermarkets. Beneath the surface of their shiny, red, voluptuous exterior lies a calculating array of health destroying reality. From neurotoxic solanine, cardiovascular-negating saponins, devastating lectins, and you guessed it... oxalates. Insidiously, the tomato works it's way into your home and onto your plate. You feel proud parading it around. You even show it off. Your friends swoon over your immaculate choices. Meanwhile, those solanines and lectins go to work ever so slowly taking your life force. so slow, that even you don't know the cause. Calcium oxalate blockages in your arteries develop, autoimmunity trickles in, and histamine conditions arise out of seemingly nowhere. Tricky mistress, that tomato.

Sign Here for Divorce

Vegetable calcium is... problematic. Put your lab coats on as we break down a little biochemistry. Goggles on? We will be embarking on a brief flirtation with insoluble calcium oxalate. When you consume your virtue signaling spinach smoothies, the oxalate content from the spinach binds incestuously with the spinach's calcium, forming insoluble calcium oxalate in the gut. This binding reduces the amount of available calcium in the intestines to bind with free oxalates. As a result, there is often more "free oxalate" left unbound in the gut, which is absorbed into the bloodstream, increasing the risk of calcium oxalate crystals forming in the kidneys, arteries, sinuses, and elsewhere.

Think of the calcium in vegetables, nuts, and fruits as the Jamie and Cersei Lannister of the calcium realm. No outside force will break apart that incestuous duo.

Dairy Calcium: Put a Ring on It

Dairy calcium, on the other hand, manages oxalate levels. Dairy products like cream, cheese, and yogurt provide a rich source of calcium but contain little to no oxalate. This means that when calcium from dairy is consumed, it remains available in the gut to bind with free oxalates, effectively reducing oxalate absorption. The calcium in dairy is highly bioavailable, meaning it is easily absorbed by the body without interference from oxalate-binding compounds like phytates (another trojan-like "gift" from the plant world). This form of calcium effectively binds to free oxalate in the gut, lowering the levels of oxalate absorbed into the bloodstream and reducing the risk of forming calcium oxalate stones in the body. From here, and with the help of mighty microbes, insoluble calcium oxalate can now be excreted via the stool.

Oxalates + Dairy = "Notebook" Level Love.

Citations:

1. "Oxalate Metabolism in Humans: Biochemical and Clinical Implications" - American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

[American Journal of Clinical Nutrition](https://academic.oup.com/ajcn)

2. "The Role of Vitamins and Minerals in Oxalate Metabolism" - Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism

[Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism](https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnme/)

3. "Gut Microbiota and Its Role in Oxalate Metabolism: The Influence of Probiotics" - Frontiers in Microbiology

[Frontiers in Microbiology](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology)

4. "Magnesium and Calcium in the Management of Oxalate Metabolism" - Journal of Urology

[Journal of Urology](https://www.jurology.com/)

5. "Vitamins B6 and Thiamine: Their Impact on Oxalate Metabolism and Kidney Health" - Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation

[Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation](https://academic.oup.com/ndt)

6. "Dietary and Microbial Interactions in Oxalate Metabolism" - Advances in Nutrition

[Advances in Nutrition](https://academic.oup.com/advances)

7. "Role of Probiotics in the Degradation of Oxalates and Prevention of Kidney Stones" - World Journal of Gastroenterology

[World Journal of Gastroenterology](https://www.wjgnet.com/)

8. "Vitamin A and Its Importance in Gut Health and Oxalate Absorption" - Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology

[Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology](https://journals.lww.com/jcge)

9. "Oxalate Degradation by Specific Microbial Subspecies: A Microbial Ecology Perspective" - Applied and Environmental Microbiology

[Applied and Environmental Microbiology](https://aem.asm.org/)

10. "Nutrient Absorption and Microbial Activity: Understanding the Gut-Kidney Axis in Oxalate Metabolism" - Nature Reviews Nephrology

[Nature Reviews Nephrology](https://www.nature.com/nrneph/)