Obesity and Kidney Disease:How Excess Weight Affects Your Kidneys

Asian Institute of Nephrology and Urology | Sep 16, 2024

Obesity is a rising global concern, impacting thousands of individuals across the world. Obesity can lead to a number of diseases, affecting almost every organ in the body, including the kidneys. Obesity and kidney disease are closely linked issues that lead to extreme complications. Kidneys are responsible for filtering out waste from the body, and kidney disease prevents that from happening, causing patients to suffer a myriad of issues. In this article, we explore exactly how obesity can adversely affect your kidneys.

What is Obesity?

Obesity refers to when an individual is overweight and has an excessive amount of fat stored in their body. Obesity is usually measured in the form of BMI, or body mass index. BMI reflects the level of fat a person has based on certain parameters. A person with a BMI of 30 or greater is considered to be obese.

What Causes Obesity?

Obesity can be caused by a number of genetic factors; however, the most common reasons behind it include a sedentary or inactive lifestyle, poor dietary habits, and metabolic troubles. A person who is suffering from obesity can reverse it by engaging in regular physical activity and establishing better eating and dietary habits. People who have a genetic tendency to gain weight and become obese can try to keep it at bay for as long as possible by opting for a physically active lifestyle.

Relationship Between Obesity and Kidney Diseases

Aperson who has obesity can develop kidney diseases for the following reasons

• When a person develops a bigger body than normal due to obesity, their kidneys need to function much harder in order to filter more blood. This is necessary for fulfilling the required metabolic needs of the larger body. This is known as renal hyperfiltration, and it can lead to kidney disease in the long term by adversely impacting glomerular damage.
• Another way in which obesity can lead to kidney damage or disease is by causing type 2 diabetes, which in turn leads to diabetic nephropathy. This condition can potentially lead to the onset of chronic kidney disease.
• Obesity can further lead to increased blood pressure in a person, which again is a critical factor contributing to the possibility of developing chronic kidney disease. This happens because high blood pressure can damage the blood vessels in the kidneys, thereby hampering their functionality.
• Inflammation is yet another issue that can be caused by obesity. In fact, obesity-caused inflammation is a chronic condition that leads to metabolic troubles and kidney damage.

A person who is obese and has other medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, or cardiovascular diseases is in even greater danger of developing kidney disease if their obesity is left unchecked. However, it is not just chronic kidney disease that they risk developing. Obesity can lead to any of the following issues, including kidney diseases, and beyond:

• Chronic Kidney Disease: Chronic Kidney Disease is a progressive condition where the kidney’s functionality diminishes over time. Over a period of time, it can lead to complete kidney damage, and it can even be fatal.
• End-Stage Renal Disease: End-Stage renal disease, or ESRD, refers to the complete failure of the kidneys, whereby the patient would need to undergo dialysis or a kidney transplant in order to survive.
• Cardiovascular issues: Kidney disease in combination with obesity is a fatal duo that can lead to the development of long-term cardiovascular issues in people, even leading to complications such as heart attacks.

How to Prevent It

In order to save oneself from suffering from kidney diseases caused by obesity, it is essential to overcome obesity. Here’s how you can achieve these goals:

Lifestyle Changes: Lifestyle changes encompass holistic transformations including dietary control, physical activity, and maybe even medical attention (in some cases).

• Dietary Control: Dietary control methods need to be followed in a couple of ways.
  1. Firstly, there is a need to establish a balanced diet plan, which you must adhere to strictly. Avoid eating out and avoid eating junk food to minimize the quantity of harmful fats you consume.
  2. Portion control is another key practice to include in your routine. Even if you eat healthy, if you eat too much, your efforts to lose weight will go in vain.
  3. Lastly, focusing on hydrating yourself is essential. If you drink enough water, you improve your kidney functioning as well as boost your overall health.
• Physical Activity: Including physical activity is key to remaining healthy and reducing obesity or the chances of gaining fat. Regularly exercising at least 150 mins/week helps keep you active, promotes overall health, and boosts organ functionality.
  1. Including aerobic exercises such as walking, jogging, swimming, etc. can help improve cardiovascular health in a person. It can also support weight-loss efforts.
  2. Apart from these, building muscle mass through strength training exercises can also help in maintaining an ideal weight level and preventing obesity.
  3. Lastly, it is essential to follow a consistent physical activity schedule, ensuring that you include at least the minimum requirement of exercising minutes every week.

Medical Monitoring: If you are someone at risk of developing certain genetic disorders or are already obese, it is essential to keep your health monitored through regular examinations to prevent developing kidney diseases, as well as for the early detection of kidney diseases. This helps in ensuring you receive treatment early, slowing down progression, and finding the right balance in order to minimize risks and symptoms from developing over time. Controlling comorbidities such as hypertension and diabetes is equally as essential as keeping obesity in check.