What is it about?
This study looked at whether very intense military training can temporarily damage the kidneys because of severe muscle breakdown. When people perform extremely strenuous exercise for several days, their muscles can become damaged and release substances into the bloodstream. In some cases, these substances can put stress on the kidneys. We followed 19 elite Brazilian Marine recruits during one of the toughest phases of their training. They measured blood and urine samples before, during, and after the exercise to see how the muscles and kidneys responded. We found that all participants experienced muscle damage after the training, and nearly half showed signs of temporary kidney stress. Fortunately, the kidney changes were mild, reversible, and recovered within about a week. The study also identified several simple blood and urine tests that may help doctors detect early kidney stress before it becomes more serious. Overall, the research highlights the importance of monitoring people who undergo extreme physical training, such as military personnel and endurance athletes. Early detection of muscle injury and kidney stress can help prevent more serious kidney damage and improve recovery.
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Why is it important?
This study shows that even healthy, highly trained military personnel can develop temporary kidney stress after extremely demanding physical exercise, often before they experience obvious symptoms. The findings suggest that simple blood and urine tests can help identify people at risk of kidney injury early, allowing medical teams to provide prompt treatment, such as rest, hydration, and close monitoring, before the condition becomes more serious. The study is also relevant beyond the military. Athletes, firefighters, first responders, and others who perform prolonged, intense physical activity in hot or challenging environments may face similar risks. Learning how to detect early kidney stress could help protect their health and prevent long-term kidney damage. Finally, the research provides a foundation for developing practical monitoring guidelines for people exposed to extreme physical exertion. Although the results need to be confirmed in larger studies, they offer valuable insights that could improve safety, reduce medical complications, and support better training and recovery strategies in physically demanding professions.
Perspectives
This research provides a starting point for improving how muscle injury and kidney stress are detected in people exposed to extreme physical activity. In the future, simple blood and urine tests could become part of routine health monitoring for military personnel, athletes, and others working in physically demanding environments, helping to identify problems before they become serious. The findings also encourage further research involving larger and more diverse groups of participants to confirm which markers are the most reliable for early detection of kidney injury. Future studies may also investigate better hydration, recovery, and training strategies to reduce the risk of muscle damage and kidney complications during intense exercise. Ultimately, this work could contribute to safer training programs, improved medical monitoring in the field, and better protection of kidney health for people regularly exposed to strenuous physical activity. However, we emphasize that these findings are preliminary and should be validated before being widely adopted in clinical practice.
Dr Zeinab Ghasemishahrestani
University of Cape Town
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Acute kidney injury induced by exertional rhabdomyolysis in military personnel, Journal of Nephrology, June 2026, Oxford University Press (OUP),
DOI: 10.1093/joneph/aajaf030.
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