Researchers have shown for the first time there is a huge gap in people’s predisposition for poor or robust kidney health that is established in utero.

Glomeruli numbers established at 36 weeks’ gestation have long-lasting implications for kidney health, Melbourne and Japanese researchers have found, in what they describe as a major breakthrough that underscores the importance of maternal nutrition and lifestyle choices.

“Given that humans are born with all of their glomeruli and podocytes, our findings suggest that some people are born with a kind of double protection against kidney disease, whereas others are born with a double risk,” said lead author Professor John Bertram from the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute.

The study, based on 50 autopsies, identified for the first time that patients with more non-sclerotic glomeruli had more podocytes per glomerulus, a higher podocyte concentration and a higher proportion of glomerular volume composed of podocytes.