Sitting and giving oneself a moment to relax in a long busy day is fine. But if it appears to go beyond the level of what was supposed to be just a break, then that may have various health implications. According to a new study, a sedentary lifestyle may actually increase a person's risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Sedentary behavior - which engaged activities in the seated or lying position that does not use much of body's energy - is commonly confused with physical inactivity. It is an important risk factor for diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. However, it has not been safely linked to a high risk of developing CKD, until this research made its debut, the Consumer Affairs reports.
"Sedentary behavior, which is not mere lack of moderate/vigorous physical activity, is likely an independent risk factor for chronic kidney disease," says Srini Beddhu, M.D. of University of Utah School of Medicine, one of the lead researchers, in the press release. "It needs to be tested whether sedentary behavior affects the progression of chronic kidney disease, and thereby, increases the risk of end stage renal disease."
In effect, the research team, which also includes Dominique Ferranti, studied 5873 adults in order to verify whether or not sedentary lifestyle could increase a person's risk of chronic kidney disease. Demographic data and health history were noted for all participants. Moreover, the intensity and length of physical activities for each subject were also measured accordingly.
With their gathered data, it shows that each 80 minutes increase in sedentary duration per day was associated with a 20 percent chance of developing chronic kidney disease, given that there are 16 wakeful hours in a day. The association was found to be independent of intensity of physical activity, length, age and sex. Sedentary duration was also found not associated with coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, lung disease and other mobility limitations.
Remarkably, sedentary behavior also appeared to remain highly associated with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, even after making some effectual adjustments.
"Interventions targeting sedentary behavior to slow the progression of chronic disease need to be conducted," Dr. Beddhu suggests.
The study will be presented on November 3-8 at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week 2015 in San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California.