Researchers from the University of California have now established a very strong association between obesity and kidney failure, or end-stage renal disease. So if you are thinking over losing weight, buckle your shoes right away, as there is no time to lose.
"There are more and more people with kidney failure, but it hasn't been appreciated much that kidney failure can be a consequence of obesity," said Dr. Chi-yuan Hsu, an assistant professor of medicine and lead author of the study.Individuals with even a moderate weight gain were found to carry an increased risk of kidney failure compared to those within the normal range in relation to their height. Alarmingly, the risk of renal failure was found to be greater by a magnitude of 700 in individuals with overweight/ obesity.
More than 320,000 individuals were included in the study and their height and weight relationship documented. The study period ranged between 1964 and 1985. Out of the individuals assessed, nearly 1,471 had developed renal failure by the end of the study. This observation was valuable even after correction of other risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes.
The study was conducted in association with Kaiser Permanente of Northern California Division of Research and was supported by National Institutes of Health. The results would be published in the journal, Annals of Internal Medicine. The current option available for patients with end-stage renal disease is either dialysis or renal transplantation.
As the old proverb goes, Prevention is better than cure, it would be sensible to invest in weight reduction now rather than end up spending for other related disorders at a later stage.
