7 Simple Steps to Protect Both Your Heart and Kidneys

7 simple steps for life, including maintaining healthy blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, diet, body weight as well as getting enough exercise and not smoking.

Taking care of your heart may also benefit your kidneys, a new study suggests.

Researchers followed more than 14,800 adults aged 45-64, divided into groups based on how well they followed American Heart Association recommendations for heart health.

These recommendations, known as the 7 Simple Steps for Life, include maintaining healthy blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, diet, body weight, as well as getting enough exercise and not smoking.

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After an average of 22 years of follow-up, one-third of participants who did not receive any recommendations at the start of the study had chronic kidney disease, compared with just 6.5% of participants who followed at least six heart-health tips.

Researchers found that while smoking, body fat, physical activity, blood pressure and blood sugar were associated with kidney disease risk, cholesterol and diet were not.

This is the first study to show that healthy people who follow these 7-step recommendations for life reduce their risk of developing kidney disease.

However, the study only demonstrated an association between lifestyle factors in these 7 steps and kidney disease risk, not a cause-and-effect relationship.

According to SK&DS