While kidney function can decrease gradually over time as people age, many people with healthy lifestyle habits maintain good kidney function throughout their lives. People who smoke, are obese, have a family history of kidney problems, or who have heart disease all are more likely to develop chronic kidney disease.

One limitation of the study is that researchers assessed exercise habits by surveying participants, not by using activity trackers to objectively measure how much or how intensely people exercised.

Also, researchers identified people with chronic kidney disease based on the results of a single lab test. Clinicians typically diagnose the condition based on two or more tests.

Still, the results build on earlier research suggesting that exercise might help avoid kidney disease, said Dr. Michal Melamed of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

"This is important for patients because physical activity is easily modifiable," Melamed, who wasn't involved in the study, said by email. "So, if people are concerned about their kidney function, if they have a family or personal history of kidney disease, it is probably a good idea to not lead a very sedentary lifestyle."

Doctors typically recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week.

While these guidelines don't directly address the risk of kidney disease, they are not a bad goal.

"It seems to be important to exercise regularly, every week and probably several times every week," Melamed said. "The people in this study, in the highest group of physical activity, either walked a little more than an hour every day or ran at least 2 hours a week, while the people in the lowest group walked less than 15 minutes a day."

SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2uOhfO9 British Journal of Sports Medicine, online January 22, 2020.

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Getting Lots of Exercise Tied to Lower Risk of Kidney Disease - The New York Times