Insulin resistance may increase kidney disease among elderly

Elderly people with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome may have an increased risk of chronic kidney disease, according to a study accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Researchers found that insulin resistance could be the key that links the decline of kidney function to metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is defined as having multiple risk factors linked to diabetes and heart disease. These include having three or more of the following conditions: high abdominal obesity, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, high blood pressure, high triglycerides (fat in the blood) and high blood glucose levels.

Metabolic syndrome is more common with advanced age.

“Our study found that metabolic syndrome predicts both the prevalence and incidence of chronic kidney disease in people aged 65 years or older,” said Chung-Jen Yen, MD of National Taiwan University and lead author on the study.

The study followed more than 1,400 people aged 65 years or older for an average of more than three years.

“We also found that rapid decline in renal function is more likely found in individuals with insulin resistance and high blood sugar levels,” Yen said.

Yen suggests that controlling blood glucose levels and losing weight can help people protect their kidney function.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people can delay and possibly prevent type 2 diabetes by losing five to seven percent of their total body weight.

Modest weight loss proved effective in preventing or delaying type 2 diabetes in all groups at high risk for the disease, according to a study by the National Institutes of Health.

To achieve this modest weight loss, CDC recommends increased physical activity to 30 minutes a day, five days a week and sticking to a reduced-fat and lower-calorie eating plan.

Nearly 26 million people, or 8 percent of the American population, live with diabetes. Between 90 to 95 percent of those cases have type 2 diabetes. About seven million of the total diabetes population is undiagnosed.

Sources: The Endocrine Society, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention