Both Diet and Exercise Are Necessary for Obese CKD Patients: A Pilot Prospective Randomized Controlled Study

Aim: This study aimed to examine the effects of exercise training on kidney function and nutrition status in obese Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients. Methods: This is a prospective randomized controlled trial. Twelve adult obese CKD patients were randomly assigned to dietary instruction alone group (Group-D) or to both dietary instruction and exercise training group (Group-E). All patients received supervised dietary advice including calorie, protein, and salt intake for a period of 12 weeks. In addition, patients in Group-E underwent a fitness-training program. A change in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was the main outcome. Secondary outcomes were changes in body mass index, serum creatinine-based estimated-GFR, serum albumin, and albuminuria. Results: Changes in GFR and all secondary outcomes were not statistically significant in either of the two groups. Although exercise training did not appear to significantly affect serum albumin levels in either group, it did present with a large sized effect. Conclusion: Exercise training might not have any effect on kidney function; however, the combination of exercise training along with dietary advice may prove to be more effective in maintaining the nutrition status when compared with dietary instructions alone in obese CKD patients. These results suggest that appropriate exercise training with dietary instructions is recommended for the treatment of obese CKD patients.