Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a growing problem globally, especially in aging populations. As people age, their kidney function declines - and this is a normal part of aging. A recent study found that physical activity slows this kidney function decline.
The study followed healthy individuals (aged 50 to 64 years at the start), who had varying physical activity levels, over an 11 year period. The researchers found that there is a dose response effect from physical activity - more active persons had a slower annual kidney function decline, as well as a much lower risk of accelerated kidney function decline.
The slowest level of kidney decline was in persons who were physically active almost every day (at least 5 days a week) and who engaged in more intense exercise. Note that physical activity is not just doing exercises - it's physical activity of all sorts. Yes, walking counts.
The researchers viewed physical activity as having reno-protective effects - in both the general population and in persons with CKD. This is because it lowers the risk of developing CKD, but it also slows kidney function decline. By the way, other studies have also found physical activity or exercise beneficial in slowing down the kidney function decline that occurs with aging.
From Medscape: Physical Activity May Slow Kidney Function Decline
Increased physical activity was associated with a substantially lower risk for kidney function decline, with the strongest effects seen with higher frequencies and intensities of activity, according to a new longitudinal study.
“Increasing physical activity frequency was associated with a slower mean measured glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decline and a lower risk of accelerated measured GFR decline,” the authors reported in a study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
“Promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior, especially in general and aging populations, is a low-cost, high-impact strategy for preventing chronic kidney disease (CKD) development and its associated financial burden,” they added.
Although physical activity has been linked to renoprotective effects in both the general population and individuals with CKD, much of this benefit has been attributed to improvements in cardiovascular health and related risk factors.
To assess whether physical activity independently helps prevent GFR decline in the general population, the first author Inger T.T. Enoksen, PhD, of the Metabolic and Renal Research Group, UiT The Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø, Norway, and colleagues analyzed data of 1837 individuals enrolled in the longitudinal Renal Iohexol Clearance Survey cohort. Participants did not have self-reported diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or kidney disease at baseline.
Kidney function was assessed with repeated GFR measurements over 11 years, using iohexol clearance, and baseline physical activity was evaluated using a validated questionnaire measuring frequency, intensity, and duration.
At baseline, 43% of participants met the World Health Organization (WHO) physical activity recommendations needed to achieve health benefits, defined as a minimum weekly exercise volume of at least 450 metabolic equivalents of task minutes.
Over the 11 years, the median annual decline in measured GFR was -1.06 mL/min/1.73 m2(interquartile range, -1.31 to -0.80).
Participants with a higher physical activity frequency had up to a 71% lower odds of accelerated GFR decline compared with inactive patients, after adjustment for baseline age, sex, BMI, smoking status, blood pressure medication use, systolic blood pressure, and fasting glucose.
Those who exercised more frequently and met the WHO physical activity recommendations had a significantly slower annual GFR decline before adjusting for smoking and alcohol consumption, with a clear dose-response trend observed as activity frequency increased (P = .001).
Among those engaging in daily physical activity, the annual rate of measured GFR decline was also significantly slower at 0.47 mL/min/1.73 m2 (P = .006).
Overall, the results suggest that “promoting increased physical activity and reduced sedentary behavior could serve as a global primary prevention strategy for CKD and GFR decline, even among those already physically active and without diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or hypertension,” the authors concluded.