Washington, Nov 16 (IANS): In addition to helping patients to shed flab, weight loss surgery may also improve their kidney function, a new study says.

"Bariatric surgery serves as a good model to examine the effects of weight loss on kidney function. Our findings suggest a beneficial impact on kidney function in patients with and without baseline kidney disease," said Alex Chang from the Geisinger Medical Center, Pennsylvania in the US.

For the study, 3,134 participants were observed for an average of 2.4 years.

One year after bariatric surgery, average weight decreased from 130.1 to 90.9 kg and average kidney function increased significantly.

The association between weight loss and increased kidney function was stronger in patients with chronic kidney disease at the start of the study than those who developed it later.

"More emphasis should be placed on promoting healthy lifestyles to avoid morbid obesity, and prevent chronic kidney disease," Chang added.

"Additional studies using other markers of kidney function are needed to confirm the study's findings and to examine the effect of weight loss on long-term kidney outcomes, said Chang, who presented the findings at the "ASN Kidney Week 2014" at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.