How to NEVER Get Kidney Stones

Berg selects magnesium glycinate because the glycine component promotes sleep and supports glutathione synthesis—an antioxidant that can directly help kidney tissue. He recommends taking it with lemon water to simultaneously supply citrates, which synergistically dissolve calcium oxalate crystals. For an even stronger effect, he suggests mixing the powder into mineral water, which naturally contains calcium and magnesium, further reducing stone risk. He notes that many people believe they get enough magnesium from diet, but therapeutic doses often require supplementation, especially if risk factors are present.

The classic advice to drink lemon juice for kidney stones is supported because of the citrate content, but Berg points out that the body also makes citrates—and magnesium enhances that production. Therefore, pairing lemon water with magnesium makes the strategy more effective. Using mineral water as the base doubles the benefit by providing additional magnesium and calcium. He specifically warns against soft water, which has had minerals removed, because hard water (naturally containing calcium and magnesium) is associated with lower kidney stone risk.

Berg acknowledges that this is the standard recommendation, but he emphasizes that drinking plenty of fluids alone does not guarantee stone prevention—many hydrated patients still form stones. However, combining adequate fluid intake (specifically hard, mineral-rich water) with magnesium repletion addresses the deeper chemistry. He draws a distinction between hard water (well or spring water) and soft water, noting that water softeners strip out beneficial calcium and magnesium, inadvertently raising risk.

Berg explains that the fear around high-dose vitamin D is rooted in this exact mechanism: the only significant toxic effect reported is kidney stones. He argues that this toxicity is entirely preventable by supplying the necessary co-factors—magnesium being paramount. By bundling magnesium with vitamin D, the absorbed calcium is correctly routed to the skeleton, and serum calcium does not rise pathologically. The addition of K2 and zinc further ensures calcium stays out of arteries and soft tissues. This transforms vitamin D from a potential risk into a safe, bone-supportive intervention.

Berg highlights that many big-brand multivitamins list calcium carbonate as their first ingredient—a cheap, rock-derived form of calcium. He warns that this type of calcium, when taken in isolation or in high doses without magnesium and other co-factors, can exacerbate stone formation. He advises getting calcium from whole foods, where it comes packaged with other nutrients that modulate its use in the body.

Berg points out that many people misattribute acid reflux and indigestion to high stomach acid, when they often result from low acid. He recommends betaine hydrochloride as a simple fix that both relieves the symptoms and corrects the underlying absorption defect. This becomes particularly important for maintaining magnesium status over the long term.

Berg mentions this as one of the 20 tips, noting that the more chronic stress you are under, the more magnesium you need, especially if you also have trouble sleeping.

This tip appears alongside the overtravining and lifestyle factors. Berg notes that sweat losses are often overlooked, and that people using saunas or hot tubs regularly should be especially mindful.

Berg explains that because magnesium is needed to ‘run those little motors’ (mitochondrial ATP production), the demand skyrockets during heavy exercise. Overtraining without additional magnesium can tip someone into deficiency, which undermines all the stone-protective mechanisms.

Berg lists these common medications as hidden drivers of magnesium deficiency. He does not elaborate deeply, but the implication is that anyone on these drugs should be especially vigilant about magnesium intake to offset the increased stone risk.

Berg mentions this as the last item in his list, without deep explanation, simply stating that fluoride in your water can deplete magnesium.

Berg briefly notes that there is some interesting research on fermented foods and probiotics decreasing kidney stone risk, likely through repopulating the oxalate-eating microbe that many people lose early in life.

Berg builds his case by walking through the common recommendations and showing their gaps. Citrates from lemon juice can help dissolve calcium, but many stone formers have low urinary citrates—meaning their body isn’t producing enough. That’s a red flag for magnesium deficiency, because magnesium is required for endogenous citrate production. Next, drinking 2.5 L of fluid dilutes urine, but people who drink plenty of fluids still get stones, suggesting concentration isn’t the only factor. Oxalate avoidance is tricky because the body can synthesize oxalates and most people have lost the oxalate-degrading gut microbe (often killed by childhood antibiotics). Vitamin K2 may keep calcium in bones, but the data is thin. Alkalizing the urine with citrates helps uric acid stones, but again, without magnesium, the deeper problem persists. Then he hits on vitamin D’s infamous toxicity: the only real harm of high-dose vitamin D is kidney stones. He explains that vitamin D pulls calcium from the gut into the blood, but without adequate magnesium (and K2, zinc) that calcium cannot be directed into bone and teeth, so it accumulates and ends up in the kidney—the perfect storm for a stone. Magnesium also acts as a natural calcium-channel blocker, preventing calcium overload inside cells and mitochondria. It suppresses parathyroid hormone (which would otherwise leach calcium from bone), raises urine citrate, alkalinizes urine, relieves spasms (anti-spasmotic), and inhibits crystallization by making stones slippery. All of these actions converge on the same solution: correct the magnesium deficit. Berg concludes that magnesium is hands down the most important thing to focus on to avoid kidney stones, and that he only learned this recently—years after his own painful stone.

Berg explains that when someone takes large amounts of vitamin D without sufficient magnesium, calcium absorption increases, yet the calcium gets stuck in the bloodstream because magnesium is required to drive the next step—depositing calcium into bone and teeth. The excess circulating calcium then spills into the kidney, forming stones. He also notes that magnesium is a natural calcium-channel blocker, so deficiency further allows calcium to accumulate inside cells, contributing to cellular damage. The solution is straightforward: never take vitamin D without magnesium (and ideally vitamin K2 and zinc). He even suggests choosing a vitamin D supplement that already includes magnesium. This simple co-administration turns a potential risk into a safe, bone-building regimen.

Berg notes that while lowering dietary oxalates makes sense, he is not 100% convinced that eating spinach, almonds, or chocolate causes kidney stones because of the high magnesium content. Magnesium has a much stronger binding affinity for oxalates than calcium does, and the resulting magnesium-oxalate complex does not form stones. He describes this as nature’s built-in antidote, making strict avoidance of these foods possibly unnecessary for many people. That said, he still advises caution and suggests that those at high risk may still benefit from moderating intake. This nuance is rarely communicated in standard urology handouts.