A new study suggests taking the necessary steps to care for your heart can positively affect for your kidneys as well. The researchers looked at over 14,800 adults aged 45 to 64 who were grouped based on how closely they followed the guidelines set out by the American Heart Association. The seven ideals include healthy blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, diet, and body weight, getting sufficient exercise, and not smoking.
After an average follow-up of 22 years, one-third of the participants who did not follow any of the seven ideals developed chronic kidney disease, compared to only 6.5 percent of those who followed at least six of the ideals.
Cholesterol and diet were not found to be associated with a higher risk of kidney disease, but body fat, blood pressure, lack of physical activity, and smoking did.
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Study author Casey Rebholz said, “This study was the first to show that for people who are generally healthy, a higher number of ideal Life’s Simple 7 health factors is associated with a reduced risk of new-onset kidney disease. Attaining ideal cardiovascular health as defined by the AHA Life’s Simple 7 metric may have substantial benefit for preventing the development of kidney disease. Recommending these ideal health factors may be effective as a population-wide strategy for kidney disease prevention.”
Emily Lunardo studied medical sociology at York University with a strong focus on the social determinants of health and mental illness. She is a registered Zumba instructor, as well as a Canfit Pro trainer, who teaches fitness classes on a weekly basis. Emily practices healthy habits in her own life as well as helps others with their own personal health goals. Emily joined Bel Marra Health as a health writer in 2013.
