Healthy kidneys = a healthy heart!

Prevent

painful kidney stones, and you’ll also cut your heart disease risk 40%! That’s because your kidneys filter your blood, removing artery- damaging wastes— and it’s tougher for them to do this if they’re clogged with tiny crystals and full- sized stones. To protect your kidneys . . .

● Slash your risk 92% with a nutrient duo

Supplementing with 400 mg. of magnesium and 10 mg. of vitamin B- 6 daily could reduce your risk of ever developing kidney stones as much as 92%, says Alan Gaby, M. D., author of Nutritional Medicine. Three recent studies suggest that magnesium helps keep calcium firmly attached to your bones and away from your kidneys— and B- 6 helps quickly flush out any calcium that does make its way to them!

● Block buildup with dairy

In a recent Harvard study, eating three servings of dairy each day cut women’s kidney stone risk at least 25%— and it didn’t matter if they chose full- or reduced-fat products. Dairy’s blend of protein and other nutrients switches off the enzymes that fuel kidneystone growth, according to the study authors. What’s a serving? One cup of milk or yogurt, 1 1/2 oz. of hard cheese or 1/2 cup ricotta cheese.

● Baby your kidneys with short walks

Exercise helps keep your arteries relaxed, preventing damaging blood pressure surges, says Dr. Gaby. That’s great news for your kidneys, which are filled with tiny, delicate blood vessels that func-

tion best when your pressure stays steady. No wonder a study of 84,000 postmenopausal women found that walking as little as 20 minutes daily helped lower their kidney stone risk 29%.

Neutralize troublemakers ● with citrus fruit

Oranges, grapefruit and the like are chock-full of potassium and citrate, compounds that your kidneys use to neutralize and flush out damaging acidic wastes, according to University of Maryland doctors. As a result, they say, just eating one cup of citrus each day could cut your risk of kidney troubles 25%!