But it wasn’t clear whether obesity directly caused kidney disease or whether other factors were involved, such as more salt in people’s diet. The team found that for most cases of obesity-associated kidney disease, diabetes and blood pressure were the driving causes. Dr Aisling McMahon, executive director of research, innovation and policy at Kidney Research UK said: 'Around three million people are living with chronic kidney disease in the UK. One of the charity’s priorities is to transform treatments for kidney disease and to find new ways to prevent it. And as well as preventing kidney disease, we’re also committed to keeping people active after they develop kidney disease.
