Kidney disease risk may increase with metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of disorders making one more susceptible to diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. The researchers reviewed medical literature and combined data from 11 studies to examine the relationship between metabolic syndrome and the risk of kidney disease. The studies included over 30,416 individuals.
The researchers found that people with metabolic syndrome had a 55 percent higher risk of kidney problems. Individual components of metabolic syndrome were found to be linked with the development of kidney disease, and the kidney disease risk increased as the number of metabolic syndrome components increased.
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Lead researcher Sankar Navaneethan explained, “Primary care physicians may need to consider using metabolic syndrome as a marker to identify patients at higher risk of developing kidney disease.”
What increases your risk of metabolic syndrome?
Metabolic syndrome is a group of disorders that increase a person’s risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and premature death. Risk factors for metabolic syndrome include being of older age, being of Mexican American race, being obese, having diabetes, having a family history of diabetes, and having other conditions including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or cardiovascular disease.
In addition, people with an apple-shape body have a higher risk of metabolic disorders. This is because in these people, fat is distributed around the abdomen and thus a person who is apple-shaped tends to have a larger waist. In a pear-shaped body, fat is concentrated around the hips and the waist is narrow, so the risk of metabolic disorder is smaller.
Tips to manage and prevent metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a very preventable condition. By following a healthy lifestyle, you will not only reduce your risk of developing metabolic syndrome but also your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and premature death.
Healthy lifestyle changes can prevent and manage metabolic syndrome. This includes eating a healthy diet of lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and whole grains, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, not smoking, lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, managing blood sugar levels, and reducing stress.
