Dietary intake, body composition, and clinical parameters: Associations between the level and type of physical activity in hemodialysis patients

Background: Physical inactivity and muscle wasting potentiate each other and are highly prevalent among hemodialysis (HD) patients. The authors evaluated the association between physical activity (PA), clinical, nutritional, and body composition parameters in HD patients. Methods: Multicenter cross-sectional study with 581 HD patients. Clinical, body composition, dietary intake, and PA data were recorded. For the analysis, patients were divided into active (follow World Health Organization recommendations) and inactive groups. Results: A total of 20% of the patients followed World Health Organization recommendations on PA. Differences between physically active and physically inactive patients were observed in age, biochemical parameters and total body water, intracellular water, lean tissue index (LTI), body cell mass, energy, and protein intake. PA was a predictor of higher LTI, body cell mass, and energy intake independently of age, gender, presence of diabetes, dialysis adequacy, and dialysis vintage. Controlling for the effect of age, walking and vigorous PA were positively correlated with energy and protein intake. Vigorous PA was also positively correlated with LTI. Conclusion: The PA is a predictor of higher LTI, body cell mass, and energy intake. Vigorous PA is associated with an improved body composition and dietary pattern, whereas walking seems to be also associated with a favorable nutritional status.