In a retrospective study, researchers in the UK have made a direct link between being overweight in early adulthood and the risk of developing chronic kidney disease later in life. Tracking body mass index and other data from subjects at different stages in their lives, they found that individuals who were overweight at ages 26 or 36 were twice as likely to develop chronic kidney disease by ages 60 to 64, compared with those who had never been overweight and those who became overweight at age 60 or later. They also found that those with apple-shaped bodies at ages 43 and 53 were at risk of having CKD by age 60 to 64.
While the incidence of hypertension and diabetes explained some of the findings, there remained a strong correlation between excess weight and CKD. The researchers do not know if the link is due to the age that a person becomes overweight or to the length of time that person is overweight. Nevertheless, they conclude that avoiding putting on extra weight early in life could prevent up to 36% of the cases of CKD in the U.S. population.
Source:
Overweight Starting in Early Adulthood Linked with Kidney Disease in Older Age, ScienceDaily, April 4, 2013