Obesity is a very significant, yet quite preventable, risk for kidney disease. A new study, led by UCSF and reported by Medical News Today, links the development of kidney disease with obesity. The study involved nearly 3,000 individuals and suggests that decline in kidney function is detectable long before the emergence of other weight-related diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Healthy kidneys are vital to proper heart and brain function, as well as the skeletal and immune systems, and the UCSF research suggests that, to reduce the risk for kidney disease, early doctor intervention and medically supervised weight loss for obese patients is crucial.