Kidney disease more likely in non-exercisers
18 February 2011
Australian researchers have shown for the first time that being inactive increases the likelihood of chronic (long-term) kidney disease, independent of obesity.
Researchers studied data from more than 6000 people in the population-based AusDiab study to see if there was an association between physical activity and risk of chronic kidney disease (Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases 2011; 21: 104–12).
They found that people who did no physical activity were 34% more likely to have albuminuria (protein in the urine) at baseline than people who did more than 150 minutes of physical activity a week, after adjusting for age, sex and lifestyle risk factors.
(Albumin is a protein found in blood and in small amounts in urine. If present in urine in large amounts, it indicates that the kidneys are 'leaking' - a sign of possible kidney damage.)
Obese individuals who were inactive were most likely to have albuminuria, followed by obese individuals who did insufficient activity, defined as less than 150 minutes a week.
However, obese individuals who did more than 150 minutes a week of activity had a similarly low risk of albuminuria at baseline as those who were not obese and got at least some exercise.
Lead author Dr Sarah White, research fellow at the George Institute for International Health and the University of Sydney, said inactivity, particularly in combination with obesity, was linked to markers of kidney damage.
"Obese people who were sufficiently active did not see the same risk", she said.
Dr White said the study didn’t show associations between baseline physical activity levels and outcomes after 5 years so it wasn’t possible to state definitely that the link between physical activity and risk of chronic kidney disease was cause and effect.
Last Reviewed: 18 February 2011
- White SL, Dunstan DW, Polkinghorne KR, et al. Physical inactivity and chronic kidney disease in Australian adults: The AusDiab study. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2011; 21: 104-12. doi:10.1016/j.numecd.2009.08.010. http://www.nmcd-journal.com/article/S0939-4753%2809%2900209-9/abstract (accessed Feb 2011).
