Exercise May Improve Kidney Function at Her Active Life

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Exercise May Improve Kidney Function

Posted May 17, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Alexandra M. Haller

Section: Her Fitness, Athletics, Sports Medicine, Her Health

ENTER IMAGE NAME BETWEEN QUOTES - USE ENGLISH NOT FILE NAMING STRUCTURE We already know that exercise helps to prevent heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, obesity and certain cancers, and may extend life span. Now a report from Italy shows that exercise may also help to prevent kidney damage that occurs with aging (Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, May 2008).

Doctors measure kidney function by calculating the ability of the kidneys to rid the body of a breakdown product of metabolism called creatinine. Regular exercisers have lower blood creatinine levels and also have kidneys that are better able to clear creatinine from the bloodstream as measured by a test called Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR).

According to this study, professional bicycle racers have better kidney function than both sedentary people and recreational cyclists. This is very interesting because professional cyclists dehydrate themselves with almost every workout, in spite of the huge amount of fluid they consume. The researchers found that frequent dehydration accompanied by drinking large amounts of water did not cause kidney damage. This repeated stress on the kidneys may even explain why the professional cyclists had better kidney function than the less-active participants.

This post is written by Dr. Gabe Mirkin, M.D. and used with permission. Dr. Mirkin is board certified in Sports Medicine and has practiced for over 40 years. He has completed more than 40 marathons and was a talk show host of a nationally-syndicated radio program for about 25 years. For more articles by Dr. Mirkin, click here.

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20 Responses to “Exercise May Improve Kidney Function” (Leave a reply)

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Well before I got my stent most of my kidney pain had gone away because my kidney practically stopped functioning at all.. When I got my stent it was just a different kind of pain. Rather than the squeezing throbbing pain it felt kind of like a pulled muscle pain and whenever I moved a certain way it hurt more. Maybe it is different for some people, I don’t know. It did help the pain a little bit but it sure didn’t take it away completely.
August 25, 2008 at 03:44 AM
Sport Serena from fl said:

Interesting. I used to think that repeated stress on the kidneys may cause kidney damage. But how can we dehydrate ourselves with every workout? We are not professional bicycle racers after all.
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Exercise probably helps us in many many ways yet we all are lazy to go for it. I will start exercising again soon :) Lets just make it a part of our lives and stay healthier.
November 8, 2009 at 04:56 PM
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This was an excellent research. This will encourage many other people beside athletes to exercise as well and stay regular with different activities so that you can stay healthy. Kidney is one of the most important parts of the body so if it functions well, your whole body will.
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Exercise helps in many many ways and also keeps us active and fitter. Kidney is a vital part of our body so it’s important to take good care of it.
November 26, 2009 at 05:42 PM
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Exercise do not only keep your kidney healthy but it will also secure all the other parts of the body from being penetrated by illnesses. Just think of it as a “saving warrior”.
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No matter your schedule, you should set aside an ample time to exercise. This will serve as your shield from diseases that destroy your body.
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This will encourage many other people beside athletes to exercise as well and stay regular with different activities so that you can stay healthy.
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