Another Weight Loss Benefit: Improved Kidney Function

By Rachel Stockton

According to a new study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, another huge health benefit can be garnered by weight loss:  improved kidney function.

As far as life and death stats go, the ability of the kidneys to function well not only is necessary to sustain life, it improves the quality of that life.  In fact, research has shown that even a transplanted kidney is better than dialysis, when it comes to renal failure.

Carrying excess weight can create a logjam in the kidneys, putting tremendous stress on them.  So, the Cleveland Clinic pooled data from 13 studies to determine how, if at all, weight loss (either through surgery or diet and exercise) can benefit damaged kidneys.  The extent of kidney damage was gleaned from urine samples; the more stressed the kidneys are, the more protein is excreted in the urine.  

The results were impressive; the bottom line is that, whether through weight loss or surgery, some of the stress and damage to the renal system can be reversed through weight loss.  While the team stated that diet and exercise might help kidneys from further decline, those who had surgery were actually more likely to reduce their abnormally high filtration rates. 

This data is encouraging because the CDC maintains that as a nation, we are heading into a crisis, when it comes to kidney disease.  By the year 2015, it is estimated that 20 million people will suffer from chronic kidney disease.

Kidney disease is no walk in the park.  Those who have to undergo dialysis often experience infections at the dialysis site, fatigue, and other health problems that severely curtail their quality of life.  And, the demand for viable kidneys for transplants is much higher than the supply.  Last year there were 16,000 kidney transplants, with 81,000 still on the waiting list.

The two biggest risk factors for renal failure are diabetes and hypertension, both of which can be weight related.  They can also be favorably controlled through proper diet and exercise.  And whatever it takes to ward off chronic kidney disease is likely worth the lifestyle changes needed to get there.