Obesity can increase the chances of someone developing kidney disease, Oxford University research has confirmed.
Researchers found that fat all over the body– and not just around the middle – increases the risk, which means that controlling weight could help to manage kidney disease risk.
Although studies have already found a link to obesity and an increased risk of kidney disease, it was not clear if obesity directly caused kidney disease or if other factors were involved.
In this study, which is published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, the team studied almost 300,000 DNA samples from the UK Biobank and searched more than 1,000 genetic variations known to predispose people to a higher overall body mass index (BMI) or more abdominal fat deposition.
Co-lead researcher Professor Will Herrington, from the Medical Research Council Population Health Research Unit at the University of Oxford, UK, said they found that 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI caused about a 50% increased risk in chronic kidney disease.
“Using a genetic approach meant we could be more rigorous than with a conventional approach and rule out other factors,” he added.
The team also found kidney disease risk did not change based on fat location and they tested whether the genetic variants that predispose certain people to obesity were also associated with diabetes or high blood pressure, which both lead to kidney disease.
They found that for most cases of obesity-associated kidney disease, diabetes and blood pressure were the driving causes.
When fat was deposited around the central organs, kidney disease was caused almost exclusively by diabetes, but when fat was deposited generally across the body, both diabetes and high blood pressure contributed to kidney disease.
Prof Herrington said: “This is good news, because we already know a lot about diabetes and high blood pressure, and we have treatments for them. If we can prevent diabetes and control blood pressure in those who are overweight or obese, we may be able to prevent many cases of kidney disease from developing in the first place. Ultimately, these results give us all more incentive to manage our weight.”
He said that trials for a new class of drugs called gliflozins, which reduce the kidney’s ability to retain sugar and salt, are indicating that it is effective at treating diabetic kidney disease, and other kidney diseases.
Dr Aisling McMahon, executive director of research, innovation and policy at Kidney Research UK said: “By identifying obesity as a new risk factor for kidney disease, this important research has revealed new reasons for doctors, patients and healthcare teams to support a renewed focus on weight management and encourage people to look at ways they can improve their own health.”
Zhu P, Herrington WG, Haynes R et al. Conventional and Genetic Evidence on the Association between Adiposity and Chronic Kidney Disease. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology 30 October 2020
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