We all know that sitting around too much can lead to health problems like obesity and diabetes. Research in England now shows that sitting also can zap the kidneys.

“While this study confirms the growing body of literature that supports a link between lifestyle factors and the development of chronic kidney disease, it also adds to the evidence that simply sitting less may have important health benefits,” says researcher Thomas Yates, M.D., of the University of Leicester.

In the study published in the American Journal of Kidney Disease, researchers examined 5,650 people aged 40 to 75 to determine if there was a link between sitting around and kidney complications.

They found that women who spent only  three hours a day sitting had a 30 percent lower risk of developing kidney complications than their peers who sat around for eight hours in a chair or on a couch.

Likewise, men cut their risk by 15 percent by decreasing sitting time from eight to three hours and also were able to help their kidney health substantially by exercising.

Yates said that this research indicates that exercises like brisk walking, jogging or running on the treadmill may be important for men’s kidney health, while simply getting to their feet seems to provide significant kidney benefits for women.