Obesity is a national epidemic for Americans with 65% above ideal body weight. It is widely recognized that obesity contributes to morbidity and mortality from diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers, yet the important role that it plays in progression of kidney disease is rarely mentioned.

It is important to raise awareness of the importance of obesity in relation to chronic kidney disease. In the last two decades, the number of people with end-stage kidney disease has doubled, and it is estimated that 600,000 people will require dialysis treatment by 2010. Moreover, it is estimated that 20 million people in the United States have either persistent proteinuria or substantial kidney damage. Although these numbers represent all forms of kidney disease, hypertension and type 2 diabetes account for the largest proportion.

Scientists have determined that there is a strong relationship between being obese and developing end-stage renal disease, or kidney failure.

The study found that obese people have up to a seven times greater risk of kidney failure than normal weight people, suggesting that obesity facilitated kidney failure.

There are more and more people with kidney failure, but it hasn't been appreciated much that kidney failure can be a consequence of obesity; people who are obese or overweight are at much higher risk of kidney failure.

Research findings showed that being even moderately overweight nearly doubles the risk of developing the condition, which is a complete failure of the kidneys to process waste so that dialysis or transplantation become necessary.

If you are mildly overweight, not even really obese, you are roughly 90 percent more likely to develop end-stage renal failure, with the risk reaching over 700 percent greater for the morbidly obese people.