Overweight raises risk of kidney disease

• April 25, 2024

Young overweight adults are more likely to develop kidney disease by the time they are older, according to new research, which analyzed the data of nearly 4,600 people in the UK who were born in March 1946.

Participants who were overweight in early adulthood were twice as likely to suffer from chronic kidney disease between 60 and 64, compared with those who had never been overweight or those who were overweight between 60 and 64.

Having a higher waist-to-hip ratio in middle age was also associated with chronic kidney disease between 60 and 64 years, according to the study published in the journal Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

The researchers calculated that 36% of cases of chronic kidney disease in people aged 60 to 64 years could be prevented if no one was overweight at least until that age.

"As far as we know, we are the first to report how the age of exposure to overweight ... could affect the risk of kidney disease," he said. Dorothea Nitsch, author of the study, of the School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in London.

It is not clear whether being overweight in early adulthood or the period of time that people are overweight underlies the increased risk of chronic kidney disease between 60 and 64 years.

Either of the two explanations suggests that preventing excessive weight gain in early adulthood could greatly reduce a person's risk of developing chronic kidney disease, the researchers said. And you, do you have healthy habits?