More than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese (body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m2). In 2008, medical costs associated with obesity were estimated at $147 billion. Furthermore, there is a graded association of BMI and the risk of end stage renal disease (ESRD). Indeed, increasing prevalence of CKD in the US population is partly explained by increasing BMI. Hence, as a public health policy, it is imperative that obesity be targeted in order to decrease the morbidity, mortality and the healthcare costs burden associated with CKD and ESRD.