Olivo RE, et al. - An elevated risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD) is seen among African Americans, and obesity could also increase the risk for CKD by aggravating features of the metabolic syndrome and encouraging glomerular hyperfiltration. Researchers gauged if other factors also affecting these pathways could amplify or mitigate obesity–CKD associations. As suggested by higher risks related to metabolically active visceral adipose volume and interactions with dietary quality, metabolic factors could be key determinants of obesity-associated CKD risk. In studies of African Americans, a consideration ought to be made regarding the interactions between obesity and APOL1 genotype.