Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Nov 1;46(6):1010-1014.
doi: 10.1093/ageing/afx091.

Objectively measured physical activity and kidney function in older men; a cross-sectional population-based study

Tessa J Parsons  1 , Claudio Sartini  1 , Sarah Ash  1 , Lucy T Lennon  1 , S Goya Wannamethee  1 , I-Min Lee  2 , Peter H Whincup  3 , Barbara J Jefferis  1
Affiliations

Objectively measured physical activity and kidney function in older men; a cross-sectional population-based study

Tessa J Parsons et al. Age Ageing. .

Abstract

Background: kidney function declines in older adults and physical activity levels are low. We investigated whether higher levels of physical activity and lower levels of sedentary behaviour were associated with lower odds of low kidney function in older men.

Methods: cross-sectional study of 1,352 men from the British Regional Heart Study, mean (standard deviation) age 78.5 (4.6) year. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour were measured using Actigraph GT3X accelerometers. Kidney function was measured by estimated Glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using the chronic kidney disease-EPI creatinine-cystatin equation. Associations between physical (in)activity and kidney function were investigated using regression models.

Results: higher levels of physical activity and lower levels of sedentary behaviour were associated with reduced odds ratios (ORs) for lower eGFR (<45 versus ≥45 ml/min per 1.73 m2) after adjustment for covariates. Each additional 1,000 steps, 30 min of light physical activity and 10 min of moderate/vigorous physical activity per day were associated with a lower odds (95% confidence interval (CI)) of a low eGFR; OR 0.81 (0.73, 0.91), OR 0.87 (0.78, 0.97) and OR 0.84 (0.76, 0.92), respectively. Each additional 30 min of sedentary behaviour per day was associated with a higher odds of a low eGFR (1.16 95% CI 1.06, 1.27). Associations between moderate/vigorous physical activity and lower kidney function persisted after adjustment for light physical activity or sedentary behaviour.

Conclusion: physical activity is associated with kidney function in older men and could be of public health importance in this group who are at increased risk of poor kidney function and low physical activity. More evidence is needed on whether the association is causal.

Keywords: glomerular filtration rate; kidney function; older people; physical activity; sedentary behaviour.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Chrysohoou C, Panagiotakos DB, Pitsavos C et al. . Renal function, cardiovascular disease risk factors’ prevalence and 5-year disease incidence; the role of diet, exercise, lipids and inflammation markers: the ATTICA study. QJM 2010; 103: 413–22. - PubMed
    1. Chronic Kidney Disease Prognosis Consortium Matsushita K, van der Velde M, Astor BC et al. . Association of estimated glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in general population cohorts: a collaborative meta-analysis. Lancet 2010; 375: 2073–81. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Webster AC, Nagler EV, Morton RL, Masson P. Chronic kidney disease. Lancet 2016; 389: 1238–52. - PubMed
    1. Shiroma EJ, Lee IM. Physical activity and cardiovascular health: lessons learned from epidemiological studies across age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Circulation 2010; 122: 743–52. - PubMed
    1. NICE Clinical Guideline [CG182] Chronic kidney disease in adults: assessment and management. 2014. https://www.nice.org.uk/Guidance/CG182 (25 May 2017, date last accessed).

MeSH terms