Drinking beer, wine or coffee can reduce the risk of kidney stone formation, according to a study from the USA. On the other hand, regular consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks increased the risk. The study combined patients from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and the two Nurses Health studies (I and II) to amass a total of 194,095 participants. They were followed up by biennial questionnaire for a median of more than eight years, and assessed for their fluid intake and development of renal calculi.