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Some overweight individuals may try to lose weight in ways that damage their kidneys

Category: Kidney Diseases

Overweight individuals can generally improve their health by dropping excess pounds. However, these people may want to talk to their doctor to make sure they are losing weight in a healthy way, as a new study suggest that many obese individuals try to lose weight through methods that may damage the kidneys.

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic examined survey results from nearly 11,000 overweight individuals. The results showed many had tried high-protein diets, which have been shown to damage the kidneys in some people.

Furthermore, many individuals who had already received positive lab test results for kidney damage reported taking weight loss supplements in conjunction with a high-protein diet. This type of approach is not recommended for individuals with impaired kidney function.

The researchers said the findings underscore the need of helping obese people lose weight in a healthy manner.

"People who are overweight or obese are at higher risk for chronic kidney disease and there is a great need to define what the appropriate lifestyle changes and weight loss modalities are for protecting kidney function," said Sankar Navaneethan, who led the study.