What is alkali citrate?

Did you know that you can prevent the crystallization that causes kidney stones?

Alkali citrate is the powerhouse ingredient in our Moonstone Stone Stopper™ products. It's helping people worldwide to elevate their kidney health routines, thus limiting the potential for painful kidney stone development.  

The prevalence of kidney stones in the United States increased by 231% from the late 1970s to the late 2000s, with women representing the fastest group of new kidney stone formers. This may be due to a rise in obesity, diabetes, hypertension and metabolic syndrome. These are all considered risk factors for stone formation.

Prescription treatments for kidney stones are available but there are few, over-the-counter (OTC) products available to effectively support kidney stone prevention. Stone Stopper, however, has a patented kidney stone prevention formula delivering 30mEq of alkali citrate (from citrate salts) per serving. 

The Science of Citrate 

Not all citrates are the same. Many people claim that drinking citrate-rich lemon juice and water will help prevent stones. However, the citrate that you can get from citric acid (such as lemon juice, citrus fruit, etc.) actually isn’t enough to prevent the formation of kidney stones.

In fact, you’d have to drink several quarts of lemonade per day to get the right amount of citrate to be preventive. Moreover, citrus fruits are relatively low in pH and don’t support healthy kidney chemistry.

Alkali citrate, however, is scientifically proven to prevent painful kidney stone development. 

Alkali citrate helps prevent kidney stone formation by reducing the ability of calcium in the urine to bind with oxalate. Specifically formulated by kidney stone specialists—including nephrologists and urologists. Moonstone contains clinically significant amounts of alkali citrate that increases urine citrate and urine pH in the body. 

This works because increased urine citrate helps prevent calcium stones. Meanwhile, increased urine pH helps dissolve and prevent uric acid stones and cystine stones.  

Although citrate from lemon juice and citrus beverages may raise urine citrate, these drinks are missing the other key nutrients that help prevent stone formation. For citrate to enter the urine and act to prevent kidney stones, it must be ingested accompanied by sodium, potassium, or magnesium. This is exactly what Moonstone provides.

Ultimately, lemon juice and other beverages cannot realistically supply what the body needs to prevent kidney stones. Stone Stopper’s higher net citrate content provides more “net base”, also known as alkali. This is essential to preventing kidney stone formation. 

Why Stone Stopper? 

Prescription medications such as potassium citrate and calcium citrate are commonly used to treat and prevent kidney stones. However, those treatment options can be expensive and can also have side effects like nausea and GI discomfort. 

For alkalinization, alkali citrate is far superior to baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), particularly for kidney health.  Baking soda is high in sodium, which may elevate blood pressure. Sodium intake also increases calcium excretion, which is why kidney stone doctors advise lower sodium intake. 

A 2023 study done by Dr. David Goldfarb at NYU Langone showed that Stone Stopper's low-sodium products did not cause an increase in calcium excretion. Stone Stopper’s alkali citrate products are delicious, have very little sodium, and are more reliable for kidney stone prevention.

Stone Stopper is a gentle alternative and the first OTC supplement designed to address kidney stone crystallization. In addition to its active ingredients, Stone Stopper has no added sugar, is low in sodium and an excellent source of magnesium and vitamin B6.  Stone Stopper may appeal to people seeking clean label products because it is non-GMO, and free of wheat, fat and soy.

People suffering from chronic kidney stones can use Moonstone Stone Stopper™ for its daily stone stopping dose of alkali citrate to prevent further stones from forming.  Available in capsules, gummies, and powder beverages in a variety of delicious flavors, adding Moonstone's 30mEq dose of alkali citrate (from citrate salts) to your daily routine can help to prevent further stones from forming. 

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