Biscuits, cakes and fizzy drinks could increase the risk of getting kidney stones, researchers have warned.

A study suggests that a greater intake of added sugars – commonly found in processed food – raises the chance of developing the painful condition.

Kidney stones affect more than one in ten people, mostly aged between 30 and 60, and are caused by waste products in the blood forming crystals.

Over time the crystals may build up to form a hard stone-like lump, leading to extreme pain and kidney infections if not treated correctly.

New research has shown for the first time that sugar-enhanced drinks, sweets, ice cream, cakes and cookies appears to raise the risk of developing the condition.

Researchers from the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College in China analysed data on nearly 30,000 people collected over 11 years.

Participants self-reported if they had a history of kidney stones, and their daily intake of added sugars was estimated from their reported diets.

Analysis revealed those who ate the most added sugars had a 39 per cent greater chance of developing kidney stones over the course of the study.

Similarly, those who derived more than a quarter of their total energy from added sugars were 88 per cent more likely to develop the condition.

Known risk factors for kidney stones include being an adult male, obesity, chronic diarrhoea, dehydration and diabetes.

Now, the researchers say elevated consumption of added sugars should be added to the list.

Lead author Dr Shan Yin said: ‘Ours is the first study to report an association between added sugar consumption and kidney stones.

‘It suggests that limiting added sugar intake may help to prevent the formation of kidney stones.’

The findings were presented in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.

A Sri Lankan man has broken the world record for having the biggest ever kidney stone.

Retired soldier Canistus Coonghe’s humongous mass, which looked like an onion, was even larger than his actual kidney.

Guinness World Records claimed it was 5.26in (913.37cm) long and 4.15in (10.55cm) wide.

And the 62-year-old’s kidney stone weighed 800g (1.76lb). This is roughly the same as a loaf of bread or big box of cereal.   

It makes Mr Coonghe’s mass the largest and heaviest ever recorded.

Dr Kugadas Sutharshan, the surgeon who removed it during an operation on June 1 at Army Hospital, Colombo, said that despite it being lodged in his right kidney, his organs worked fine.

Surgeons did not say if it caused him any pain. However, even small ones can be agonising.  

Kidney stones are usually no bigger than a small pebble and can typically be passed in your pee. They consist of minerals such as calcium.

Roughly one in ten people get kidney stones at some point in their lifetime.

Pain is felt when they pass down the ureters from the kidneys to the bladder. Without treatment, they can cause infections and damage the organ.

One option for dealing with them is so-called ‘conservative’ treatment, where nature is left to take its course.

Patients are given painkillers but otherwise told to go away, grin and bear it.

Other methods include surgical removal or blasting them with high-frequency shock waves, to shatter them into tiny fragments. The method chosen often depends on how big the stones are and where they are positioned. 

People can reduce their risk of suffering kidney stones by drinking plenty of water and ensure their urine is pale in colour — a signal that they are well-hydrated. 

The previous record for the heaviest kidney stone, 616g (1.36lb), was set by a Pakistani man in 2008.

Meanwhile, the longest measured 5.11in (13cm) which was surgically removed from an Indian man in 2004.