Lifestyle Interventions, Kidney Disease Progression, and Quality of Life: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Rationale & objective: Poor dietary patterns and low physical activity levels are important lifestyle-related factors that contribute to negative health outcomes in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Previous systematic reviews have not explicitly focused on these lifestyle factors, nor undertaken meta-analyses of any effects. We aimed to evaluate the effect of lifestyle interventions (such as diet, exercise, and other lifestyle-related interventions) on the risk factors for and progression of CKD and the quality of life.

Study design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Setting & study populations: Individuals aged 16 years or older with CKD stages 1 to 5 not requiring kidney replacement therapy.

Selection criteria for studies: Randomized controlled trials of interventions.

Data extraction: Kidney function, albuminuria, creatinine, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, body weight, glucose control, and quality of life.

Analytical approach: A random-effects meta-analysis with evidence certainty assessed using GRADE.

Results: Seventy-eight records describing 68 studies were included. Twenty-four studies (35%) were dietary interventions, 23 (34%) exercise, 9 (13%) behavioral, 1 (2%) hydration, and 11 (16%) multiple component. Lifestyle interventions resulted in significant improvements in creatinine (weighted mean difference [WMD], -0.43 mg/dL; 95% CI, -0.74 to -0.11; P = 0.008); 24-hour albuminuria (WMD, -53 mg/24 h; 95% CI, -56 to -50; P < 0.001); systolic blood pressure (WMD, -4.5 mm Hg; 95% CI, -6.7 to -2.4; P < 0.001); diastolic blood pressure (WMD, -2.2 mm Hg; 95% CI, -3.7 to -0.8; P = 0.003); and body weight (WMD, -1.1 kg; 95% CI, -2.0 to -0.1; P = 0.025). Lifestyle interventions did not result in significant changes in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (0.9 mL/min/1.73 m²; 95% CI, -0.6 to 2.3; P = 0.251). However, narrative synthesis indicated that lifestyle intervention resulted in improvements in the quality of life.

Limitations: Certainty of the evidence was rated very low for most outcomes, primarily owing to the risk of bias and inconsistency. No meta-analysis was possible for quality-of-life outcomes because of variations in measurement tools.

Conclusions: Lifestyle interventions seem to positively affect some risk factors for progression of CKD and quality of life.