Archive · 19 Sep 2026
AIIMS Study Links Metabolic Health to Fat Around Kidneys
Researchers at AIIMS studied obese people to see how body fat affects the kidneys.
They found that people with unhealthy blood sugar or blood pressure often had more fat around their kidneys.
This fat was found in 77% of the metabolically unhealthy participants and 55% of the metabolically healthy participants.
The researchers think metabolic health may be as important as body weight in understanding kidney stress.
They also studied a protein called NGAL, which can rise when the kidneys are injured or inflamed.
NGAL was higher in people with greater obesity.
This may help doctors spot kidney stress earlier than some usual tests.
However, more research is needed before NGAL can be used as a regular screening test.
An ongoing AIIMS study of 44 obese patients found excess renal sinus fat in 77% of metabolically unhealthy participants, compared with 55% of metabolically healthy participants.
Researchers said blood sugar and blood pressure may influence kidney-fat accumulation beyond body weight or BMI alone.
The study found that serum NGAL, a kidney-injury and inflammation biomarker, was higher among adults with greater degrees of obesity.
Researchers said NGAL could potentially detect obesity-related kidney stress before conventional kidney-function tests or imaging, but it is not ready for routine screening.
The researchers cautioned that larger, long-term studies are needed to confirm the findings and determine NGAL’s clinical usefulness.
- Who
- Researchers at AIIMS, led by Dr Amandeep Singh with Dr N K Vikram as a co-investigator, studied 44 obese patients.
- What
- The study examined links between metabolic health, fat around the kidneys, and early kidney-injury biomarkers.
- When
- The findings come from ongoing ICMR-supported research; the study period was not specified.
- Where
- All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
- Why
- Researchers sought to understand whether metabolic health and biomarkers could reveal obesity-related kidney stress earlier than conventional tests.
- Study participants
- 44 obese patients admitted to AIIMS
- Renal sinus fat
- Found in 77% of metabolically unhealthy participants and 55% of metabolically healthy participants
- Metabolic health measures
- Included measures such as blood sugar and blood pressure
- Biomarker studied
- Serum NGAL, a protein associated with kidney injury and inflammation
- NGAL finding
- Levels were substantially higher among adults with greater degrees of obesity
- Screening status
- NGAL is not recommended for routine screening based on the current findings
- Research support
- The research is supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research