Losing belly fat and cutting down on processed, phosphorus-laden foods may help reduce the risk of kidney disease, claim researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.
Previous studies have shown that it is not just how much fat you have, but where it is on your body that increases the risk of certain diseases. And the distribution of excess fat around the belly has been linked to cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and now, kidney disease.
The researchers from Johns Hopkins claim that reducing your waist circumference and cutting down on dietary phosphorus have been linked to lower levels of protein in the urine (albuminuria). The presence of this protein in urine is one of the first indicators of kidney disease.
The results are published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 26 million American adults suffer from chronic kidney disease (CKD). This is a silent condition, with many sufferers not aware that they have it until it is quite advanced.
Left untreated, the kidneys lose their ability to clean the blood of waste products that build up, causing damage to bones, increased risk of high blood pressure, anemia, nerve damage and poor nutritional health. It may eventually lead to kidney failure.
The latest figures the CDC published, for 2006, showed that CKD was responsible for 45,000 people's deaths.
Positive steps anyone can take
One of the advantages of the current study is that it highlights preventative measures that people can adopt before they have any symptoms of CKD.
Dr. Joseph Vassalotti, chief medical officer at the National Kidney Foundation, says:
"Other studies have suggested that once diagnosed with kidney disease, weight loss may slow kidney disease progression, but this is the first research study to support losing belly fat and limiting phosphorus consumption as a possible way to prevent kidney disease from developing."
No comments:
Post a Comment