Obesity Increases Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

Maintaining a healthy weight is important for overall good health, and specifically important for good kidney health. Being overweight, or obese can increase your risk of developing kidney disease in several different ways.  It increases the risk of developing major risk factors for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and has a direct impact on the development of CKD and End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).

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Increased Risks

Being overweight increases your risk of developing diabetes and high blood pressure. Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two main causes of kidney disease. This means that being overweight is a contributing factor in developing kidney disease, and it also means this can be largely preventable if you maintain a healthy weight.  You may also begin to decrease risk factors if you embark on a healthy plan to lose weight 

Being overweight has a direct impact on your kidneys.  Extra weight forces the kidneys to work harder and to filter waste above the normal level.  Over time that extra work increases your risk of developing kidney disease. 

Steps to take to protect your kidneys

There are steps you can take, things you can do that will help to protect your kidneys and improve your overall health.  

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Know your Body Mass Index (BMI). 

BMI is a measure of body fat based on your height and weight.

• BMI of less than 18.5 is considered underweight. 
• BMI in between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal
• BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight
• BMI above 30 is considered obese

In order to find your BMI you can use the Adult CDC BMI calculator.

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Make lifestyle changes. 

Making changes to your diet and exercise will protect your kidneys and make you healthier overall.

1. Take steps to lose weight if you need to. Talk with your healthcare provider about healthy ways to lose and maintain weight. 
2. Eat a healthy diet and make it a long term plan, a lifestyle change, not a short term plan just to lose weight. Follow a diet high in nutritional value with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. 
3. Avoid processed foods and foods high in sugar and salt.
4. Drink plenty of water, avoid sugary empty calorie drinks
5. Exercise for 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week.  Start slowly and increase your endurance and time spent with 30 minutes your goal to reach. 
6. Do activities you enjoy for exercise. Do you like to dance? Or go for walks in your neighborhood? Any activity that gets you up and moving is good for your health. 
7. Make exercise part of your daily routine, block out 30 minutes of time like an appointment you must keep for your well being.
8. Work exercise into your day.  Take stairs instead of the elevator or walk to the corner store instead of driving there.

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Speak with your healthcare provider if you need some help in planning a healthy diet to follow or starting an exercise program.

• Get kidneys checked at your Doctors office.  
• Control blood sugar. If you have diabetes, keeping your blood sugar under control is key to keeping your kidneys healthy.
• Control high blood pressure.  Eat a healthy diet that is low in sodium, exercise and take prescribed medications. 

If you have already been diagnosed with CKD, you need to talk with your healthcare providers before beginning a new diet plan.  Some weight loss diets may not be good for you in this case, and your provider along with a dietitian can help to plan a nutritious plan to help you control your weight while keeping you healthy and protecting your kidneys.

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“Having a BMI over 25 (overweight) or of over 30 (obesity) is a risk factor for kidney disease and is also associated with the progression of the disease. Losing weight may also slow the progression of the disease in those already diagnosed with chronic kidney disease,”  said Nephrologist Hernan Rincon-Choles MD , “This can reduce your risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea, increased urine protein excretion, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure, which in turn will lower your risk for developing kidney disease”.  

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Treat your body well so that it will continue to function in the best health possible. Have a good relationship with your body by giving it healthful foods with lots of nutritional value and maintain a healthy weight and exercise routine. Prevention is key, and if already in a high risk category, make healthy changes now in order to enjoy the best health possible. 

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Video

In this video developed by DocsTalk, Dr. Joel Kopple explains how obesity can lead to kidney disease.

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Video Transcript

Anchor

Obesity has become a national epidemic in this country with 65 percent of Americans currently above the ideal body weight. At LA Bio Med, Dr. Joel Koppel tells us how

obesity can lead to kidney disease.

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Dr. Joel Koppel

The most common single way that obesity causes chronic kidney disease is because obesity is strongly associated with the development of diabetes mellitus. Particularly what's called Type 2 or adult onset diabetes and among people who develop diabetes mellitus, on average in the united states, 38 percent of these individuals will develop chronic kidney disease.

Obesity is commonly associated with high blood pressure. In high blood pressure, it turns out is the second most common cause of end stage kidney failure and these are two illnesses which theoretically theoretically are largely preventable and to a large extent by nutrition; and particularly by preventing obesity. Now obesity also has many other relationship to chronic kidney disease.

First of all there's a certain type of disease involving the filtering apparatus of the kidney it's called the glomerulus which is specifically caused by obesity. Two other causes of kidney disease that are associated with obesity are one is cancer of the kidney. And if you can believe this the likelihood of developing kidney stones; both of these are more common in people who are obese.

There's a simple way of estimating obesity it's called the Body Mass Index. It's your body weight in kilograms divided by your height measured in not in yards but in meters and then squared. So it's your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height given in meters. Now a normal BMI is about 19 to 25. 19 to 24.9 is what's normally considered overweight. 25 up to 29.9, 30 and higher is obese.

When you eat a huge meal a lot of calories a lot of protein and other nutrients that's a major metabolic stress on your body. Obese people also eat a lot of other nutrients; not just too many calories, often their protein intake is very high. They often eat much too much sodium; much too much phosphorus. If they have any kidney disease, the potassium intake by obese people is often much higher than it should be.

The most common way of characterizing kidney health or kidney function; there are two common ways one is by examining the urine and looking specifically for the protein that I just mentioned or the loss of red blood cells in the urine. The second is actually looking at the function of your kidney. No matter what type of kidney disease you have, virtually any type, if you're obese, your kidney disease seems to progress more rapidly. You seem to lose kidney function at a more rapid rate than somebody else with the same kidney disease who's not obese.

As people age, it is normal to lose some of your kidney function. You know we just lose tissue mass and we lose function as we age, that's that's the story of life.

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References

National Kidney Foundation

Cureus

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About the Author

Monica McCarthy has bachelors in Political Science and Criminal Justice from Central Washington University.  A majority of her career was spent as a political consultant.   She currently works at KidneyLuv as a staff writer.

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Patient Education Disclaimer

This material is for informational purposes only. It does not replace the advice or counsel of a doctor or health care professional. KidneyLuv makes every effort to provide information that is accurate and timely, but makes no guarantee in this regard. You should consult with, and rely only on the advice of, your physician or health care professional.

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