Man in China has 420 kidney stones removed as a result of 'excessive consumption of tofu'

The kidney stones after the operation (EuroPics)

A man has had a staggering 420 kidney stones removed in an emergency operation after doctors blamed 'excessive consumption of tofu' for his unusual condition.

The patient – known as Mr He, from Zhejiang Province in eastern China – checked into the Dongyang People's Hospital last month after experiencing intense abdominal pain, reports the Qianjiang Evening Post.

A CT scan quickly revealed his left kidney was jam-packed with stones, most of them very small, which were removed in a two-hour procedure.

One of the doctors involved with the case, Dr Wei Yubin, explained how lack of water contributed to Mr He’s unusual condition and said: “Soy products – especially gypsum tofu – are very high in calcium, the excess of which cannot be excreted from body without a sufficient intake of water.”

After his operation, Mr He’s medical records showed how some of the stones had been diagnosed several years ago – but he had chosen to do nothing about the condition due to laziness.

Although he says he does not like drinking water, Mr He has now been ordered to cut down on the amount of tofu he eats.

And if you thought having 420 kidney stones removed sounds uncomfortable, Mr He’s ordeal is a long way off the current world record.

According to the Guinness World Records, in 2009, a doctor in India removed 172,155 stones from a patient’s left kidney during a three-hour surgery.