The optimal amount of physical activity in patients with kidney disease may boost better health, says a new study. The findings indicate that compared to an inactive group, the highly active group had a 38 percent lower risk of death, 17 percent lower risk of end-stage renal disease, and 37 percent lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events.

"Our results suggest that physical activity should be integrated into the clinical care of patients with kidney disease," said researcher Der-Cherng Tarng of Taipei Veterans General Hospital and National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan.

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity (e.g. walking) or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity (e.g. jogging) weekly physical activity, or an equivalent combination, for health benefits in adults. For the study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, the team involved 4,508 patients with chronic kidney disease who were not on dialysis.

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Patients were divided into three groups according to weekly physical activity assessed with the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) questionnaire — highly active (WHO minimum or more), low-active (less than the WHO minimum), or inactive (no activity). A total of 1,915 patients were classified as highly active, 879 were low-active, and 1,714 were inactive.

Chronic kidney disease affects around 700 million people worldwide. Muscle wasting results in physical inactivity which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease — the main cause of death in these patients. Once chronic kidney disease progresses to end-stage renal disease, the risk of cardiovascular death is 10-20 times higher compared with the general population, the study indicated. (IANS/SP)