Studies: Increased Fluid Intake May Protect Kidneys.

The New York Times  (11/8, O'Connor, Subscription Publication) "Well" blog reports that "two large studies found a lower risk of long-term kidney problems among people who drink more water and other fluids daily." In the first study, published last March in the journal Nephrology, researchers found that among 2,400 people over the age of 50, "those who drank the most fluids, about three liters daily, had a 'significantly lower risk' of chronic kidney disease (CKD) than those who drank the least." In a second "study published last month in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, Canadian scientists followed 2,148 healthy men and women, average age 46, for seven years" and found that "those who had the highest urine volume -- in other words, those who drank the most fluids -- were least susceptible to declines in kidney function."