Everyone's Health

What do you tell your doctor?,
     Urine, truth serum of your diet

The day may come when skirting a doctor's questions about your eating habits will no longer be an option. Researchers have found that a simple urine test can provide a good snapshot of how well people are really eating.

The key, they say, is how much potassium is in the urine. When the level is too low, that is the sign of a poor diet, they reported at a American Society of Nephrology conference.

Dr. Andrew Mente of the Prosserman Center for Health Research in Toronto said that while doctors frequently asked patients about their diet, it was hard to get reliable information.

For this study, the researchers asked 220 kidney stone patients to collect their urine over a 24-hour period. They also asked detailed questions about what the patients had eaten.

Because the volunteers were all being treated for kidney stones, the researchers want to find out if the association between potassium levels in the urine and good diets holds true for healthier people.

They also want to develop a single-time test, which will be more useful for doctors.

Prior | Tell us what you think | Next

Add to Your Social Bookmarks: Del.icio.us Digg Furl Reddit Simpy Spurl Y! MyWeb - StumbleUpon