News and Views

Bad diet choices and habits like smoking and obesity are linked to an increased risk for kidney disease. Alex Chang of Johns Hopkins University discovered that people with normal kidneys whose diet quality was bad were more likely to develop kidney disease. One per cent of people without unhealthy diet or lifestyle choices developed protein in their urine. On the other hand, 13 per cent of participants who had at least three unhealthy factors such as obesity, smoking and poor diet developed protein in their urine. A link between those who currently smoke and the development of chronic kidney disease was also pinpointed. Smokers were found to be 60 per cent more likely to develop kidney disease. Kidney disease risk factors in healthy young people using longitudinal data ranging over 15 years, including information on more than 2,300 black and white adults aged between 28 and 40 years from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study was analysed.