Walking may help prolong life of kidney patients

Suffering from kidney diseases? Take up walking at the earliest as researchers have found that walking may help patients with kidney disease prolong life and reduce the risk of needing dialysis or a kidney transplant.

"A minimal amount of walking - just once a week for less than 30 minutes - appears to be beneficial, but more frequent and longer walking may provide a more beneficial effect," explained Che-Yi Chou from China Medical University Hospital in Taiwan.

Physical inactivity is common among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

During the study, the researchers studied 6,363 patients. Just over 21 percent of patients reported walking as their most common form of exercise.

During follow-up, the researchers found that those who walked were 33 percent less likely to die and 21 percent less likely to need dialysis or a kidney transplant.

The more patients walked, the more they benefited, the study, appeared in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, noted.