High body mass index (BMI) has long been linked to a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD), but the measurement’s accuracy and usefulness as a health indicator have been called into question by health and fitness experts in recent years. A new study by scientists at Johns Hopkins explored whether or not other tools for measuring obesity confirmed high BMI as an accurate indicator in CKD development and progression.*

What they did

The research team evaluated health and demographic information for 10,222 White and 3,274 Black female participants. Their information was culled from the 30-year-long Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study; participants averaged 53 years old at the beginning of the study. 

For the new study, the researchers used this information to look for associations between:

• Obesity and eGFR (kidney function) decline
• Obesity and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) risk

The measurements used to determine obesity included:

• Body mass index (BMI)
• Waist-to-hip ratio
• Predicted body fat percentage

What they found

The study findings showed that:

• All obesity measures were associated with kidney function decline in both White and Black women.
• Only the waist-to-hip ratio and predicted body fat percentage were linked to kidney function decline in Black men.
• None of these measures were associated with kidney function decline in White men.

What it means

According to study leader Zhi Yu, BM, Ph.D., and her colleagues, the lack of association between obesity and CKD risk in White men bears further research. The overall findings, however, indicate that targeting midlife obesity may help prevent kidney function decline and reduce the risk of kidney disease—particularly for Black men and women and White women.

*Webb, M. J. (2020, Sept. 30). Midlife Obesity Shows Varying Impacts on Kidney Disease Risk Based on Sex, Race. Healio.  https://www.healio.com/news/nephrology/20200930/midlife-obesity-shows-varying-impacts-on-kidney-disease-risk-based-on-sex-race