A new study suggests that spending at least 30 minutes a week on walking lowers the risk of dying from kidney disease to as much as 59 percent.
Researchers from China Medical University Hospital in Taichung, Taiwan followed the progress of more than 6,300 citizens with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The patients averaged 70 years of age and were watched for an average of 1.3 years. Around 21 percent of them considered walking as regular exercise.
Analysts found that the kidney patients who took regular walks lived longer and had lower chances of needing dialysis or a kidney transplant. They also noticed that patients who walked less than 30 minutes improved overall health. More frequent, longer walks proved to reap even greater benefits.
Those who walked one to two times a week were 17 percent less likely to die. Those who walked three to four times a week brought their numbers up to 28 percent, while those who walked five to six times a week got their chances up to 58 percent. The people who walked the most at seven or more times a week had the best results at 59 percent.
The patients who walked regularly also lowered their chances of needing dialysis or a kidney transplant. Walkers who exercised one to two times a week were 19 percent less likely to need those treatments. Those who walked three to four times a week and five to six times a week got 27 percent and 43 percent respectively. Those who walked 7 or more times a week had the best odds of not needing treatment, at 44 percent.
"Walking for exercise is associated with improved patient survival and a lower risk of dialysis," said study co-author Dr. Che-Yi Chou in a news release.
This study was published in the May 15 issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
