Those who get a sufficient amount of physical activity (PA) may be at a lower risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) in comparison with people who are inactive or have low activity levels. A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine investigated the association between regular PA and renal function.*

Research and investigation details

An international team of researchers from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, and the U.K. selected a total of 199,421 participants without kidney disease from a Taiwan cohort and examined them between 1996 and 2014.

To collect information on regular PA,, self-administered questionnaires were used. Depending on the participants’ answers, they were divided into four groups: very low-PA, low-PA, moderate-PA, and high-PA.

The researchers analyzed kidney function by measuring glomerular filtration rate (GFR). GFR shows what quantity of wastes and excess fluids are passing from the blood through the tiny filters in the kidney, called the glomeruli.

Thus, the researchers used statistical programs that estimated the association between:

• regular PA;
• GFR value; and
• frequency of CKD.

Researchers followed most participants for four years or more (an average of 4.2 years). 

Results and conclusions

In sum, the study determined that regular exercise mitigates age-related worsening in kidney function and reduces the risk of CKD.

The investigation showed the following results:

• Over the course of the study, 11,000 participants (approximately 5.6%) developed CKD.
• In a group of participants with high PA, kidney disease was nine percent (9%) less probable than in a group with a sedentary lifestyle.
• People with a low and moderate level of PA had six to seven percent (6-7%) less kidney dysfunction than participants with a sedentary lifestyle.

The authors concluded that a higher level of regular physical exercise is associated with a smaller decrease in the level of GFR and a lower risk of developing CKD. This reduction may be related to a positive effect of PA on the cardiovascular system.

Added insight can be found in a Physician’s Weekly article, called “Getting lots of exercise tied to lower risk of kidney disease.”

*Guo, C.; Tam, T.; Bo, Y.; Chang, L.-Y.; et. al. (2020, Jan. 22). “Habitual physical activity, renal function and chronic kidney disease: a cohort study of nearly 200 000 adults.” British Journal of Sports Medicine.