TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH

Every 10 point increase in the diastolic, or lower, blood pressure number boosts the likelihood of problems with memory and thinking by 7 percent, according to a study on nearly 20,000 people published in the August 25, 2009, issue of Neurology. The researchers said that the risk rose even in participants who had no history of strokes or transient ischemic attacks.

The same diet proven to lower blood pressure cuts the risk of kidney stones, according to a study of 242,000 adults. Boston researchers looked at the connection between a diet called Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension and kidney stones by giving participants a score based on how well they adhered to the diet. It is high in low-fat dairy products, legumes, nuts, produce, and whole grains but low in sodium, soft drinks, and red and processed meat. People with the highest scores had about half the risk od developing kidney stones than people with the lowest scores.