Daily Health Defense

Exercising every day and filling up on calcium-rich foods could shield you from metabolic syndrome. In surveying 5,077 adults, researchers found that those who got little or no daily exercise or ate low-calcium diets were at least 1.5 times as likely to develop metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions (including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and excess belly fat) that up your risk for heart disease and diabetes.

Working out regularly helps trim abdominal fat and lower blood pressure, while calcium-packed foods may help keep blood pressure in check and curb fat production, says Jennifer Tremmel, M.D., clinical director of Stanford Hospital's Women's Heart Health Clinic. Tremmel recommends eating calcium-rich foods such as low-fat yogurt, dark-green leafy vegetables, almonds, and salmon.