Toss the Pop, Save Your Kidneys

Can you imagine a grocery store without a soft-drink section?

Well, try to pretend it isn't there. Because if you cut down on the sweet stuff, it might help ensure that your kidneys last for the long haul.

Two Below
A recent study revealed that -- especially for women -- guzzling two or more servings of sugary soda per day could increase the odds that they'd have unhealthy levels of albumin in their urine. Why is that so bad? Because high levels may be a marker of early kidney disease. Researchers aren't sure why soda seems to stress the kidneys, but it could be that high-fructose corn syrup, phosphorous, or some other ingredient in the fizzy stuff gives kidneys a hard time. (Did you know? You could fix up your kidneys with fish.)

3 Better-for-You Drinks:
The good news? Diet soda didn't seem to have an impact on albumin levels of kidney disease. Neither did having just one soda a day. But if you're ready to pitch pop anyway, consider these other refreshingly healthy options:

• Grape juice: Find out how this wine substitute helps your heart.
• Apple juice: Discover why cloudy is better for protecting your cells.
• Water: Here's how it can help make you skinnier.

Find out what your soda-drinking habit says about your heart.

Sugary soda consumption and albuminuria; results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2004. Shoham, D. A. et al., PLoS One 2008;3(10):e3431.