Apple-shaped body ups risk of kidney disease

London: People with apple-shaped bodies are more prone to serious kidney diseases, a study published in American Society of Nephrology has found. 

    Indians mostly have such physical features with concentration of fat around abdomen. The study said people with such body types suffer from higher blood pressure in their kidneys than those with pearshaped bodies. This could lead to increased risk of developing kidney diseases later in life. The study said such individuals may benefit from treatments that reduce kidney blood pressure. 
    Such mechanisms underlying this risk were not well understood. To study the issue, Arjan Kwakernaak from the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands looked for links between waist-tohip ratio, which reflects central body fat distribution, and kidney measures in 315 individuals with an average body mass index of 24.9 kg/m2, considered normal weight. Higher waist-to-hip ratios were associated with lower kidney function, lower kidney blood flow, and higher blood pressure within the kidneys.