A 2022 review in Advances in Nutrition analyzed the results of 14 studies focused on the connection between various protein sources and the incidence of kidney stones. Diets high in non-dairy animal protein were linked to an 11% higher risk of developing kidney stones. It gets worse from there. Eating any meat products is associated with a 22% increased risk. Eating more processed meat, like bacon and hot dogs, raises your risk by 29%. For every 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) of red meat you eat every day, your risk of getting a kidney stone goes up by 39%. However, the analysis showed that chicken, fish, and dairy were not directly linked to kidney stones.

Not all analyses found such a high risk for meat eaters, but your risk of developing kidney stones might have more to do with the ratio of animal-to-plant protein sources. According to a 2019 article in The Journal of Urology, people who ate more animal protein were 16% more likely to develop kidney stones than those who consumed less protein in their diets. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that too much protein can become a problem, especially if some of your protein comes from plants. People who consumed a higher ratio of animal protein to plant protein had a 17% higher risk of kidney stones; plant protein was not determined to be associated with a risk of kidney stones.