Apple-Shaped Bodies Linked with Poorer Kidney Measures.

New research suggests that central body fat distribution, independent of BMI, is linked with an unfavorable pattern of kidney measures that could underlie increased kidney risks reported in observational studies. A JASN study of 315 healthy individuals with an average BMI of 24.9 kg/m2 (normal weight range BMI 18.5–24.9 kg/m2) found people with apple-shaped bodies tended to have lower kidney function, lower kidney blood flow, and higher blood pressure within the kidneys than people with pear-shaped bodies –even after adjusting for sex, age, mean arterial pressure, and BMI.