There s more bad news for the apple-shaped people that is to say, folks who carry their body fat around their midsection, rather than in their hips and buttocks.
Being apple-shaped was already known to be a risk factor for a cardiovascular disease. Now a new study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology shows that even if they are otherwise healthy, people with who are apple-shaped are more likely to have kidney problems, according to a new study in the.
Researchers with the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands analyzed kidney function profiles and waist-to-hip ratios in 315 healthy people with a BMI of around 25, the upper border of normal weight.
"We found that apple-shaped persons even if totally healthy and with a normal blood pressure have an elevated blood pressure in their kidneys, says lead researcher Arjan Kwakernaak, a MD and Ph.D. candidate. When they are also overweight and obese, this is even worse.
People with apple-shaped bodies faced twice the risk of high renal blood pressure, Kwakernaak said. The reasons aren t clear, but could be because the fat triggers inflammation or insulin resistance.
High blood pressure in the kidneys can be treated through salt restrictions or drugs, an intervention Kwakernaak suggests could be particularly effective for the apple-shaped people.
