Obesity increases risk of kidney disease Researchers have shown that declines in kidney function are detectable long before the emergence of other obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. First author Vanessa Grubbs, MD, UCSF assistant adjunct professor of medicine, and senior author Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, professor of medicine, led a team that analyzed 10 years’ worth of health data from CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults), a national multi-center research project that has tracked the health of thousands of black and white young adults since its beginnings in 1985. The 2,891 CARDIA participants included in the study were categorized according to four ranges of body mass index (BMI): normal weight, overweight, obese, and extremely obese. At the beginning of the time period studied, the patients averaged 35 years of age and all had normal kidney function in the normal range, though higher-BMI patients were at the lower end of that range. Kidney function diminished over time in all participants, but the decline was significantly greater and more rapid in heavier patients, and appeared to stem exclusively from BMI. Grubbs said that when they accounted for diabetes, high blood pressure, and inflammatory processes, the body mass index was still a predictor of kidney function decline, so there was something unique about just being too large that in and of itself affected kidney function even before the onset of frank kidney disease. The new study has been published online in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases Threats of obesity Obesity comes with its bag and baggage of threats. Some of them are listed below: Years of life lost – People who are obese do not live as long as those who are not obese. The earlier a person becomes obese, the more years of his/her life are lost. Dysmetabolic Syndrome X – This syndrome involves abdominal obesity, abnormal blood-fat levels, changes in insulin sensitivity and inflammation of the arteries. It is associated with a markedly increased risk of heart and blood vessel disease – a precursor to the onset of diabetes in adults. Heart disease – Severely obese persons are approximately six times more likely to develop heart disease as those who weigh in the normal range for their body type. High blood pressure – Essential hypertension, the progressive elevation of blood pressure, is more common in obese persons leading to development of heart disease, and damage to the blood vessels, causing susceptibility to strokes, kidney damage, and hardening of the arteries. (Read: Want to lower your blood pressure? Be happy!) High blood cholesterol – Cholesterol levels are commonly elevated in the severely obese – another factor predisposing to development of heart and blood vessel disease. Diabetes Mellitus – Overweight persons are 40 times more likely to develop Type-2 diabetes! Elevation of the blood sugar, which is the essential feature of diabetes, leads to damage of tissues throughout the body. Diabetes is the leading cause of adult-onset blindness, kidney failure and also of over one-half of all amputations. ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies. ps- those interested in recipes are free to view my blog- http://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/ for info about knee replacement, you can view my blog- http://Knee replacement-stick club.blogspot.com/ for crochet designs http://My Crochet Creations.blogspot.com