Curie Brief
Turn on cookies to sign in
Signing in saves your progress to your Curie account. We can only do that with cookies on — turn them on to continue.
News
Higher cardiorespiratory fitness linked to slower kidney decline. A new study found that adults with greater cardiorespiratory fitness experienced slower age-related kidney function decline over five years. Researchers say exercise could be a key, modifiable factor in preserving kidney health — even before chronic kidney disease sets in.
A new prospective cohort study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise suggests that being more physically fit may help slow the natural decline in kidney function that comes with aging. Researchers from the University of Tsukuba in Japan tracked 198 adults (median age 61.4 years) over up to five years, measuring cardiorespiratory fitness at baseline and monitoring kidney function annually.
The key finding: higher cardiorespiratory fitness was significantly associated with a slower decline in cystatin C-based kidney function — a more reliable marker than the commonly used creatinine-based measure, which can be skewed by muscle mass and other non-kidney factors.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Chronic kidney disease affects millions globally, and there are few easy, low-cost strategies to slow its progression. This research positions cardiorespiratory fitness as a potentially powerful and modifiable tool for kidney health — though experts caution that more research, including exercise intervention trials, is needed to confirm a causal link.
