Kidneys are the great regulators in our bodies, removing excess organic molecules and waste products from the blood. Having healthy kidneys has always been important, but a new study has discovered that they can do much more than just keeping your insides clean.

According to a News Ledge report, a chemical produced in the kidneys might be a better indicator of the risk of heart disease, stroke, and even heart failure than traditional cholesterol and blood pressure tests.

Dr. Kunihiro Matsushita, the study’s lead author, found that the kidneys collected a chemical called creatinine, a waste product from the muscles. By measuring the levels of creatinine in the body, doctors are able to tell how efficiently the kidneys are working. The estimated glomerular filtration rate tells physicians if there’s something wrong with the kidneys.

A second test described in the study measured the amount of albumin in patients’ urine. Albumin is a protein that secretes from the kidneys and pass through the urinary tract when a kidney begins to develop a disease. High levels of albumin in urine correlated with poor kidney function in most patients.

The study culled data from 24 previous studies examining over 639,000 patients. The results showed that both the estimated glomerular filtration rate test and the albumin test increased the success at which doctors were able to detect cardiovascular disease in its early stages.

The study could very well change the way doctors look for kidney disease and the early risk of heart disease. The link between kidney function and heart health isn’t crystal clear to the research, but Dr. Matsushita believes that the backup of fluids caused by a poorly functioning kidney can often lead to heart failure.

Further studies will need to be done in order to fully understand the link between the body’s pump and filter systems, but Dr. Matsushita hopes that his work will help inform future studies that could prevent major medical issues.