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Lower Your Risk of Kidney Disease by Losing Weight

The health and emotional benefits of weight loss are wide ranging which include heart health, bone health and emotional stability. It also has shown to reduce cancer and diabetes risk. Recent research is now linking weight loss with decreased risk of kidney disease and dysfunction. Compared to normal weight individuals, obese individuals have a three to four times greater risk of kidney disease. According to the National Kidney Foundation, over 26 million Americans are diagnosed with kidney disease. Kidney failure is the ninth leading cause of death in the United States. The two leading causes of kidney disease (accounting for more than 60% of cases) are diabetes and hypertension. Not only are these two conditions highly prevalent in the obese population, obesity itself may directly decrease kidney function.

Kidney Functions

kidneys The kidneys primary responsibilities include removing waste from the body, filtering toxins from the blood, and helping to regulate blood pressure. When blood enters the kidney, nephron cells filter out toxins, unnecessary nutrients, and excess body fluid. These products are sent to the bladder for excretion. The remaining cleaned and filtered blood returns to circulation. Think of the kidneys as a human oil filter. When a car has an old filter, it does not get optimal gas mileage, the engine works harder, and the car does not run as efficiently. A similar situation happens to the human body when the kidneys are not functioning properly.

Kidney damage can happen suddenly or gradually resulting in declining vital function. The gradual decline associated with obesity, diabetes, and hypertension is known as chronic kidney disease (CKD) which is a slow, progressive disease categorized into five stages. Individuals are placed into one of five stages based on his or her kidney function status known as glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Stage one is equivalent to kidney damage with normal kidney function while stage five advances to complete kidney failure resulting in dialysis or transplantation.

Kidney Disease and Obesity

kidney failure

An obese individual's risk of CKD is significantly increased for several reasons. The majority of obese individuals may have one or more other risk factors such as type 2 diabetes and/or high blood pressure. In addition, as the body gets larger, more water is retained. As a result, the kidneys have to work harder to filter the excess fluid. Obesity may raise blood pressure and insulin resistance leading to sodium retention and excess strain on the kidneys. The combination of increased lipids, high blood pressure, and glucose intolerance can also lead to glomerulosclerosis, hardening of the glomerulus, and loss of nephron function. Finally accumulation of adipose tissue around the kidneys can add extra stress and pressure reducing functionality. Overall the mechanisms of excess body size on the kidneys are not clearly understood but excess workload on the kidneys by excessive filtration, accumulation of fat stores, and/or sodium retention may lead to kidney disease.

Prevention

You can help prevent this life-threatening disease. Regardless of weight, there are some important preventive steps that can help ensure your two bean-shaped bundles of joy keep working efficiently for a long period of time.

  1. Drink plenty of fluids
  2. Exercise regularly
  3. Do not smoke or quit smoking
  4. Lose weight or maintain your proper weight.
  5. Get checked regularly for diabetes. This should be done yearly especially if you have a strong family history. If you currently have diabetes, you can still protect your kidneys by being compliant with your medical appointments, medications, and dietary recommendations.
  6. Get checked regularly for high blood pressure. If you currently have high blood pressure, be compliant with your medication and eliminate the majority of salt from your diet.

Recent Positive Findings

Bariatric surgery has been shown to reduce risk and improve diseased states of diabetes and hypertension which will help reduce the risk of chronic kidney disease. Moreover, recent studies are being conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of bariatric surgery and kidney function for patients with CKD. Studies have indicated that kidney filtration rates normalize following bariatric surgery. More studies are needed to confirm the most effective surgery and amount of weight loss needed to achieve this benefit.

Sources

  • National Kidney Foundation
  • http://www.kidney.org
  • American Society of Nephrology
  • http://www.asn-online.org/facts_and_statistics

Images

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