Regular Aerobic Exercise May Improve Chronic Kidney Disease Outcomes

TUESDAY, Oct. 25, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Regular aerobic exercise is associated with significant improvements in chronic kidney disease (CKD) measures, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published online Sept. 26 in Frontiers in Physiology.

Qirui Ma, from Beijing Sport University, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the effect of regular aerobic exercise on renal function in patients with CKD.

Based on 12 randomized controlled trials, the researchers found that regular aerobic exercise significantly improved the estimated glomerular filtration rate (standardized mean difference [SMD], 0.65; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.30 to 1.00), serum creatinine (SMD, −0.63; 95 percent CI, −0.86 to −0.40), 24-hour urine protein volume in patients with CKD (SMD, −0.41; 95 percent CI, −0.70 to −0.11), and serum urea nitrogen (SMD, −0.66; 95 percent CI, −1.20 to −0.12). Significant improvements in the estimated glomerular filtration rate were seen with single exercise sessions longer than 30 minutes. Walking and running significantly improved serum creatinine levels; however, cycling did not.

“Regular aerobic exercise has a significant effect on the estimated glomerular filtration rate, serum creatinine, 24-h urine protein amount, and blood urea nitrogen in CKD patients,” the authors write. “As a chronic disease that endangers public health, whether aerobic exercise can play a role in the prevention and control of the disease course is a research direction worthy of attention.”

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