Are apple-shaped bodies more prone to kidney disease?

If you have a pear shape, you may be in luck — at least on one front. A new study reports that you may have to worry less about kidney disease than your apple-shaped counterparts.

The findings showed those with apple-shaped bodies tend to have higher blood pressure in the kidneys. This increase the risk of developing kidney disease later in life, according to the study, published April 11 in the online edition of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology,

Participants in the study included 315 healthy individuals with an average body mass index of 24.9, which according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is on the high end of the normal range.

The researchers, from the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands, were looking for links between kidney function and waist-to-hip ratio, which reflects central body fat distribution.

Apple-shaped bodies have fat largely concentrated in the abdominal area, while pear-shaped bodies hold more fat in the thighs and hips.

According to the study, carrying more fat around the middle was associated with lower kidney function and lower kidney blood flow, along with higher blood pressure in the kidneys.

“We found that apple-shaped persons — even if totally healthy and with a normal blood pressure — have an elevated blood pressure in their kidneys,” said the study’s lead researcher Arjan Kwakernaak, in a statement. “When they are also overweight or obese, this is even worse.”

The study cited previous research that has shown that high blood pressure in the kidneys can be treated with salt restriction or medication. “Our current data suggest that such interventions could be particularly useful in subjects with a central body fat distribution,”said Kwakernaak.