Why do people with apple-shaped bodies have an increased risk of kidney disease?

High blood pressure in the kidneys of people with apple-shaped bodies may be responsible for their increased risk of developing kidney disease later in life, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The findings suggest that these individuals may benefit from treatments that reduce kidney blood pressure.

People with "apple-shaped" bodies—when fat is concentrated mostly in the abdominal area—are more likely than those with "pear-shaped" bodies to develop kidney disease. The mechanisms underlying this risk are not well understood.

To study the issue, Arjan Kwakernaak, MD/PhD candidate (University Medical Center Groningen, in The Netherlands) and his colleagues looked for links between waist-to-hip ratio, which reflects central body fat distribution, and kidney measures in 315 healthy individuals with an average body mass index of 24.9 kg/m2. (A of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2 is considered normal weight.)

Higher waist-to-hip ratios were associated with lower , lower kidney blood flow, and higher blood pressure within the kidneys.

"We found that apple-shaped persons—even if totally healthy and with a —have an elevated blood pressure in their kidneys. When they are also overweight or obese, this is even worse," said Kwakernaak.

This suggests that elevated blood pressure in the kidneys of individuals with apple-shaped bodies may be responsible for their increased risk of developing later in life. Previous studies have shown that high blood pressure in the kidneys can be treated through salt restriction or with drugs that block what is known as the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. "Our current data suggest that such interventions could be particularly useful in subjects with a central ," said Kwakernaak.

More information: The article, entitled "Central Body Fat Distribution Is Associated with Unfavorable Renal Hemodynamics Independent of Body Mass Index," will appear online on April 11, 2013, doi: 10.1681/ASN.2012050460

Citation: Why do people with apple-shaped bodies have an increased risk of kidney disease? (2013, April 11) retrieved 19 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-people-apple-shaped-bodies-kidney-disease.html
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