Physical fitness is an independent predictor of chronic kidney disease development in apparently healthy individuals.

Background: The cardiovascular and metabolic benefits of physical activity have been studied at length, however, data on the association between physical fitness and progression to kidney disease is lacking. We aimed to identify the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) among the healthy population.

Methods: We retrospectively investigated 11,579 healthy self-referred subjects who underwent annual medical screening.