Teens with a high BMI may face increased risk of early kidney disease

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-12-12 03:00

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Having a higher BMI as a teen could increase your risk of developing chronic kidney disease early in life, according to international research. The team looked at health data from over 600,000 Israeli people as teenagers, and looked at who went on to develop chronic kidney disease before the age of 45. They say having obesity or being overweight as a teen was associated with a higher kidney disease risk, and the link was even present for those with a high-normal BMI who were seemingly healthy. The researchers say this highlights the importance of mitigating increasing rates of obesity among teens.

Media release

From: JAMA

Adolescent Body Mass Index and Early Chronic Kidney Disease in Young Adulthood

About The Study: High body mass index (BMI) in late adolescence was associated with early chronic kidney disease in young adulthood in this study that included 593,000 adolescents. The risk was also present in seemingly healthy individuals with high-normal BMI and before 30 years of age, and a greater risk was seen among those with severe obesity. These findings underscore the importance of mitigating adolescent obesity rates and managing risk factors for kidney disease in adolescents with high BMI.

Authors: Gilad Twig, M.D., Ph.D., of the Israel Defense Forces, Medical Corps, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel, is the corresponding author.

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Research JAMA, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: JAMA Pediatrics

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Sheba Medical Center, Israel

Funder: Dr Coresh reported receiving grants from the National Institutes of Health outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.

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