Weight gain after 20 years of age is associated with prevalence of chronic kidney disease

Weight gain after maturity is a risk factor for diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke, even in individuals with a normal body mass index; however, there is little information about the influence of weight gain after maturity on chronic kidney disease (CKD). Therefore, we examined the association between weight gain after 20 years of age and the prevalence of CKD. A cross-sectional study was performed on 28,151 women and 21,110 men aged between 40 and 59 years who participated in the specific health check and guidance system of Japan in 2008. We compared prevalence of CKD between participants with and without weight gain of at least 10 kg after 20 years of age. Multivariate logistic regression models and stratified analyses were used to adjust for possible confounding factors. The prevalence of CKD among participants with weight gain was significantly higher than among those without weight gain both in women (11.8 vs 8.3%, p < 0.0001) and in men (12.2 vs 9.2%, p < 0.0001). After adjustment for age, smoking, regular exercise, alcohol intake, history of kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for CKD was 1.24 (1.14-1.36) in women and 1.15 (1.05-1.26) in men with weight gain of at least 10 kg after the age of 20 years. Even in participants without metabolic syndrome, weight gain was independently associated with CKD in both genders. Weight gain after 20 years of age is associated with CKD among Japanese, even those without metabolic syndrome.