Their study, reported on in the medical Male Diabetes Solution journal Endocrinology Research in December 2014, included 125 overweight individuals diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. A total of 36 were found to have chronic kidney disease. Body mass index (BMI), waist measurement, and waist-to-height ratio were compared in patients with and without diabetic nephropathy...From these results it was concluded the waist-to-hip ratio could be a good means of screening for kidney disease and further research can explain why belly fat could be detrimental to the kidneys.
The saying goes "it is healthier to have a pear-shaped body than an apple shaped body." In other words, carrying fat around the hips rather than around the waist, is better. Belly fat, far from being a passive storage facility for fat, actually acts as a gland. The gland releases a hormone called adiponectin, thought to lower body cells' sensitivity to insulin. Resistance to insulin is the hallmark of Type 2 diabetes. Whether belly fat directly influences diabetic kidney disease remains to be seen.
To find your waist-to-hip ratio, measure your waist at its narrowest circumference, usually just above the belly button. Measure your hips at their widest aspect and divide waist size by hip size. A good ratio for preventing kidney disease has not been determined, but a ratio of 0.80 or below in women, and 0.95 or below in men, is considered low risk for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. A ratio of .85 or more in women or 1.00 or more in men puts those individuals at high risk. Moderate risk falls below the two.
