Abstract
Among adults in the United States, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome rose by >35% from 1988–1994 to 2007–2012. In fact, one-third of U.S. adults meet the criteria and the highest burden is among non-Hispanic black and adults with low socioeconomic status. 1 Although many communicable infectious diseases in most of the world have been controlled (with the obvious exclusion of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic), this noncommunicable disease is a global phenomenon, which is often linked to an increase in consumption of high-calorie low-fiber fast food and the decrease in physical activity attributable to mechanized transportations and sedentary form of leisure time activities. 2 Although the association between metabolic syndrome and kidney stone disease is well established, the authors in this systematic review looked to expound upon lifestyle factors such as physical activity, alcohol, and smoking as they all in part directly or indirectly cause metabolic syndrome.
In this study, the authors concluded that moderate exercise should be recommended for patient suffering from kidney stone disease. Given the known cardiovascular benefits of regular exercise this recommendation should not be understated in our current environment of virtual work, which has led to an even greater sedentary lifestyle. Patients should be directed to the wealth of resources that are available online or even at their local public library for home exercise, as content should not be the limiting factor and it should be our job as providers to provide the motivation. The authors found a disagreement to the role of alcohol consumption and kidney stone disease. Although up to the discretion of the provider on counseling in this regard, it should be noted that “everything that exceeds the bounds of moderation has an unstable foundation” and patients should be made aware of the associated calories associated with fluids they consume. Finally, the authors conclude smoking has some association with increased risk of kidney stone disease and providers should take every opportunity to counsel patients on smoking cessation for stone prevention and overall health benefits from this decision.