Exercise can help with reducing many risks.
Regular exercise is commonly recommended for preventing and managing type 2 diabetes, with extensive research supporting its role in managing blood sugar levels. However, a recent study suggests another potential benefit: reducing the risk of chronic kidney disease in individuals living with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity.
Published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the study indicates that participants with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity had a decreased likelihood of developing chronic kidney disease compared to those who did not engage in regular physical activity.
Individuals with diabetes face a higher risk of chronic kidney disease, with approximately one-third of diabetes patients affected by this condition. This study, spanning eight years and involving 1,746 participants, evaluated the impact of moderate to vigorous physical activity on the progression of chronic kidney disease in individuals with overweight or obesity.
Using objective measures like accelerometers, researchers tracked participants’ activity levels. The study found that those engaging in 329 to 469 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity had a lower risk of progressing to chronic kidney disease compared to those with less activity.
Furthermore, participants who increased their weekly physical activity by approximately 63 minutes over four years experienced a 33% reduction in the risk of developing chronic kidney disease. Notably, the study observed benefits regardless of whether activity was accumulated in bouts of more or less than 10 minutes.
While the study highlights the potential benefits of exercise in reducing the risk of chronic kidney disease, it does have limitations. The findings do not establish a direct causal relationship between exercise and kidney disease reduction, as other lifestyle factors were not strictly controlled. Additionally, the study did not account for potential weight loss effects associated with increased physical activity.
Experts suggest that individuals with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity aim for about an hour of physical activity per day, seven days a week, to maximize the benefits for reducing the risk of chronic kidney disease. This recommendation exceeds the guidelines provided by organizations like the American Heart Association, reflecting the unique needs of diabetes patients in mitigating the damaging effects of the disease on kidney health.
Furthermore, the intensity of exercise matters, with moderate to vigorous activity recommended. Moderately intense activity elevates heart rate and body temperature, allowing for conversation in short sentences, while vigorous activity is characterized by more challenging and faster-paced movements, often limiting speech to a word or two at a time.
Discussion about this post