Obesity and Being Overweight May Lead to Kidney Failure!

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World Kidney Day is a global awareness campaign
Experts have found a connection between kidney disease & obesity
Being overweight or obese increases the load on kidneys

Mumbai: World Kidney Day is a global awareness campaign about the importance of our kidneys. It is commemorated every year on 9th March and this year the theme was ‘Kidney Disease and Obesity’. The kidneys are very important organs in our body that excrete toxins, balance the fluids and regulate other important functions. Experts have now found a dangerous connection between kidney disease and obesity. A study published in the esteemed medical journal Lancet indicates that India is the third largest obese country in the world just behind the United States and China!

It has been further seen that the risk of various kidney problems has increases in the last seven-eight years and health experts are of the view that excessive weight gain and obesity leads to kidney failure in almost 70% of the cases. The biggest reason for the increased risk of obesity and kidney failure has been attributed to our current sedentary lifestyle where we have no time for physical activities, mounting pressures of work and unhealthy junk food to deal with the situation. "Obesity puts one at risk of co-morbidity, can cause hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, cardiovascular diseases, all of these also indirectly causes damage to the kidney," said Dr. Gaurav Nag, Nephrologist with SRV Hospital in Mumbai. Dr. Nag also points out that the risk is the same for men and women.

(Also read: 8 Ways You Can Prevent Chronic Kidney Disease, Obesity Being No.1)

Doctors in the city have expressed that with the increasing weight of the body, the load on the kidneys also rises and this can affect the various functions it performs on a day to day basis. "This can lead to wear and tear of this critical organ and with time it stops functioning. Obesity not only directly affects the kidneys but also has parallel pathways caused by various co-morbidities that lead to complete kidney failure," explains Pradeep Gadge, a Mumbai-based Diabeteologist.The problem of obesity is also rising among kids which puts them at a higher risk of heart disease and stroke in adulthood. Being overweight or obese also increases the chances of developing diabetes. All these lifestyle diseases can interrupt the smooth functioning of your kidneys leading to kidney disease and kidney failure. The easiest way to figure out your ideal weight is by using the Body Mass Index based on your weight and height. Losing weight and maintain require a long-term plan and important lifestyle changes to be followed regularly. With inputs from IANS

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