The Study
Resistance Exercise in People With Stage-3 Chronic Kidney Disease: Effects of Training Frequency (Weekly Volume) on Measures of Muscle Wasting and Function
This study gave two groups of people with kidney disease different workout schedules and saw what happened. Because they were randomly assigned, we can guess that the workouts caused the changes we saw — like stronger muscles — but we can't be 100% sure because not everyone was blind to which group they were in.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
People with moderate kidney disease did resistance training either once or three times a week for 12 weeks to see which was better.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 546 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even once-a-week training improved strength and reduced tiredness and discomfort from kidney disease — meaning you don’t need to train often to feel better.
- 2Both groups got stronger and felt better symptoms-wise.
- 3But those who trained three times a week had bigger leg muscles (31% vs 13% growth) and thicker muscle fibers.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Physiology
Year
2022
Authors
Louise J. Geneen, J. Kinsella, Tobia Zanotto, P. Naish, T. Mercer
Related Content
Claims (5)
In people with stage-3 chronic kidney disease, doing resistance training three times a week for 12 weeks leads to larger increases in muscle thickness and fiber angle compared to training once a week.
For people with stage-3 chronic kidney disease, doing resistance training once or three times a week for 12 weeks leads to the same improvements in leg strength, physical function, and reduction of uraemic symptoms.
People with stage-3 chronic kidney disease who do resistance training for 12 weeks experience fewer uremic symptoms, with symptoms occurring less often and being less disruptive, whether they train once or three times per week.
In people with stage-3 chronic kidney disease, 12 weeks of resistance training does not change total body fat, muscle mass, or total body water, no matter how often the training is done.
After 12 weeks of strength training, the muscle fibers in the thigh of people with stage-3 chronic kidney disease do not become longer. Instead, the muscles grow thicker due to changes in fiber arrangement and cross-sectional size.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.