Associations between Physical Activity and Obesity Defined by Waist-To-Height Ratio and Body Mass Index in the Korean Population

Objective This study investigated the associations between physical activity and the prevalence of obesity determined by waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and body mass index (BMI). Methods This is the first study to our knowledge on physical activity and obesity using a nationally representative sample of South Korean population from The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We categorized individuals into either non-obese or obese defined by WHtR and BMI. Levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were classified as ‘Inactive’, ‘Active’, and ‘Very active’ groups based on the World Health Organization physical activity guidelines. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the associations between physical activity and the prevalence of obesity. Results Physical activity was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of obesity using both WHtR and BMI. Compared to inactive men, odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for obesity by WHtR ≥0.50 were 0.69 (0.53–0.89) in active men and 0.76 (0.63–0.91) in very active men (p for trend = 0.007). The ORs (95% CIs) for obesity by BMI ≥25 kg/m2 were 0.78 (0.59–1.03) in active men and 0.82 (0.67–0.99) in very active men (p for trend = 0.060). The ORs (95% CIs) for obesity by BMI ≥30 kg/m2 were 0.40 (0.15–0.98) in active men and 0.90 (0.52–1.56) in very active men (p for trend = 0.978). Compared to inactive women, the ORs (95% CIs) for obesity by WHtR ≥0.50 were 0.94 (0.75–1.18) in active women and 0.84 (0.71–0.998) in very active women (p for trend = 0.046). However, no significant associations were found between physical activity and obesity by BMI in women. Conclusions We found more significant associations between physical activity and obesity defined by WHtR than BMI. However, intervention studies are warranted to investigate and compare causal associations between physical activity and different obesity measures in various populations

Physical Activity and the Development of Substance Use Disorders: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

Physical activity and exercise are positive health behaviors that have been shown to reduce the risk of physical and psychological diseases. There is a strong rationale that physical activity could be a protective factor against the development of substance use disorders (SUDs), which include some of the most common mental health conditions such as tobacco and alcohol use disorder. This review examined the epidemiological literature to describe the associations of physical activity and substance use across the lifespan. The findings indicated that physical activity is positively associated with current and future alcohol use but negatively associated with tobacco and other drug use, with the strongest support originating from adolescent and young adult samples. Considerably less data exist on physical activity and other drug use in later life. Limitations in previous studies, such as the indeterminate measurement of physical activity and absence of clinical substance use disorder endpoints, should be addressed in future investigations to provide clarity regarding the strength and directions of these relationships among different substances and populations

Resistance training improves cardiovascular health in postmenopausal women

Evidence has been emerging on the importance of adding a muscle-strengthening component to regular physical activity to improve quality of life; delay the loss of muscle mass and function; and prevent osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and the falls, fractures, and disability that may follow.1 Menopause and aging may lead to a loss in fitness, decrease in muscle strength and bone mineral density, and a gain in weight, all of which concomitantly increase the risk for many chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease.2 If muscle-strengthening exercise can delay or prevent these diseases in postmenopausal women, this would have important public health implications

Associations of Health Club Membership with Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health

Introduction This study evaluates whether a health club membership is associated with meeting the US physical activity (PA) guidelines and/or favorable cardiovascular health. Methods Using cross-sectional data of health club members (n = 204) and non-members (n = 201) from April to August 2013, this is the first study to our knowledge to examine a health club membership in relation to objectively measured cardiovascular health indicators including resting blood pressure, resting heart rate, body mass index, waist circumference, and cardio respiratory fitness based on a non-exercise test algorithm. To determine the total PA and sedentary time, this study used a comprehensive PA questionnaire about both aerobic and resistance activities at the health club, as well as lifestyle activities in other settings, which was developed based on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Results The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of meeting either the aerobic, resistance, or both aerobic and resistance PA guidelines for members compared to non-members were 16.5 (9.8–27.6), 10.1 (6.2–16.3), and 13.8 (8.5–22.4), respectively. Significant associations of health club membership with more favorable cardiovascular health outcomes and sedentary behavior were observed for resting heart rate (B: -4.8 b/min, p\u3c0.001), cardiorespiratory fitness (B: 2.1 ml/kg/min, p\u3c0.001), and sedentary time (B: -1.4 hours, p\u3c0.001). Participants with a health club membership of \u3e1 year had more favorable health outcomes, with a smaller waist circumference (men, B: -4.0 cm, p = 0.04; women, B: -3.4 cm, p = 0.06), compared to non-members. Conclusions Health club membership is associated with significantly increased aerobic and resistance physical activity levels and more favorable cardiovascular health outcomes compared to non-members. However, longitudinal, randomized controlled trials would be clearly warranted as cross-sectional data prohibits causal inferences

Correlates of Total and domain-specific Sedentary behavior: a cross-sectional study in Dutch adults.

BACKGROUND: Sedentary behavior (SB) is associated with increased risks of detrimental health outcomes. Few studies have explored correlates of SB in physically active individuals. Furthermore, SB correlates may depend on settings of SB, such as occupation, transportation and leisure time sitting. This study aims to identify subject-, lifestyle- and health-related correlates for total SB and different SB domains: transportation, occupation, and leisure time. METHODS: Dutch participants were recruited between June, 2015 and December, 2016. Participant characteristics (i.e. age, sex, weight, height, marital status, education level, employment), lifestyle (sleep, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity) and medical history were collected via an online questionnaire. SB was assessed using the Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire and estimated for 9 different activities during weekdays and weekend days. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the association between correlates and SB. Total SB was dichotomized at > 8 h/day and > 10 h/day, and being sedentary during transportation, occupation and leisure time at the 75th percentile (60 min/day, 275 min/day and 410 min/day, respectively). RESULTS: In total, 8471 participants (median age 55, 55% men) were included of whom 86% met the physical activity guidelines. Median SB was 9.1 h/day (Q25 6.3-Q75 12.0) during weekdays and 7.4 h/day (Q25 5.5-Q75 9.5) during weekend days. SB was most prevalent during leisure time (5.3 h/day; Q25 3.9-Q75 6.8), followed by occupation (2 h/day; Q25 0.1-Q75 4.6) and transportation (0.5 h/day; Q25 0.2-Q75 1.0). Younger age, male sex, being unmarried, higher education, employment and higher BMI were significantly related to higher levels of total SB. Younger age, male sex, employment, and higher BMI increased the odds for high SB volumes during occupation and transportation. Higher education, being unmarried and smoking status were positively associated with high volumes of occupational SB only, whereas older age, being unmarried, unemployment, higher BMI and poor health were positively linked to leisure time SB. CONCLUSIONS: SB is highly prevalent in physically active individuals, with SB during leisure time as the most important contributor. Correlates for high volumes of SB vary substantially across SB domains, emphasizing the difficulty to target this unhealthy lifestyle

Prospective study of alcohol consumption and the incidence of the metabolic syndrome in US men

Few studies have evaluated the effects of alcohol consumption on the incidence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Therefore, the objective of the present study was to examine the association between alcohol consumption and incident MetS in a population of US men. This is a prospective study of 7483 Caucasian men, who were free of the MetS and CVD at baseline. Information was collected on alcohol consumption, health status and fitness level at an initial clinical examination. Additional health information and determination of incident cases of the MetS were obtained at follow-up clinical examinations between 1979 and 2005. Compared with non-drinkers, the multivariate hazard ratios of the MetS for light (1–3 drinks/week), moderate (4–7 drinks/week), moderate–heavy (8–13 drinks/week) and heavy ( ≥ 14 drinks/week) drinkers were 0·81 (95 % CI 0·68, 0·95), 0·68 (95 % CI 0·57, 0·80), 0·70 (95 % CI 0·59, 0·83) and 0·78 (95 % CI 0·66, 0·91), respectively. This association was seen across age groups, in men with one or more pre-existing MetS risk factors, and those with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2, and in all alcohol beverage types at most levels of alcohol consumption. An inverse dose–response association between alcohol consumption and low HDL concentrations was observed, while significant associations were observed between high fasting glucose concentrations and moderate, moderate–heavy and heavy levels of alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption was not significantly associated with central obesity, hypertriacylglycerolaemia or hypertension. All levels of alcohol consumption provided significant inverse associations with incidence of the MetS. In particular, this effect was observed in overweight and/or obese individuals, in those who had pre-existing risk factors for the MetS, and extended across all types of alcoholic beverages consumed

Associations of movement behaviors and body mass index: comparison between a report-based and monitor-based method using Compositional Data Analysis.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Evidence on the associations between lifestyle movement behaviors and obesity has been established without taking into account the time-constrained nature of categorized, time-based lifestyle behaviors. We examined the associations of sleep, sedentary behavior (SED), light-intensity physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) with body mass index (BMI) using Compositional Data Analysis (CoDA), and compared the associations between a report-based method (24-h Physical Activity Recall; 24PAR) and a monitor-based method (SenseWear Armband; SWA). SUBJECTS/METHODS: Replicate data from a representative sample of 1247 adults from the Physical Activity Measurement Survey (PAMS) were used in the study. Participants completed activity monitoring on two randomly selected days, each of which required wearing a SWA for a full day, and then completing a telephone-administered 24PAR the following day. Relationships among behavioral compositional parts and BMI were analyzed using CoDA via multiple linear regression models with both 24PAR and SWA data. RESULTS: Using 24PAR, time spent in sleep (γ = -3.58, p = 0.011), SED (γ = 3.70, p = 0.002), and MVPA (γ = -0.53, p = 0.018) was associated with BMI. Using SWA, time spent in sleep (γ = -5.10, p < 0.001), SED (γ = 8.93, p < 0.001), LPA (γ = -3.12, p < 0.001), and MVPA (γ = -1.43, p < 0.001) was associated with BMI. The SWA models explained more variance in BMI (R2 = 0.28) compared with the 24PAR models (R2 = 0.07). The compositional isotemporal substitution models revealed reductions in BMI when replacing SED by MVPA, LPA (not with 24PAR) or sleep for both 24PAR and SWA, but the effect estimates were larger with SWA. CONCLUSIONS: Favorable levels of relative time spent in lifestyle movement behaviors were, in general, associated with decreased BMI. The observed associations were stronger using the monitor-based SWA method compared with the report-based 24PAR method

Running and Mortality: Is More Actually Worse?

In follow-up to our recent state-of-the-art review on running published in the November 2015 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 1 we have additional data regarding the relationship of high-dose running with prognosis. Clearly, observational studies have recently reported that leisure-time running provides mortality benefits. However, the dose-response relationship between running and mortality has been increasingly debated, specifically whether more running is better or worse

Greater Adherence to Life's Essential 8 for Cardiovascular Health Is Associated With Lower Arterial Stiffness in Survivors of Cancer

Background Survivors of cancer have elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, likely stemming from the negative impact of anticancer therapies on vascular function. Arterial stiffness is a strong indicator of vascular function and independent predictor of cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association recommends Life's Essential 8 for optimal cardiovascular health. It is currently unknown, however, whether greater adherence to Life's Essential 8 is associated with low arterial stiffness in survivors of cancer. Methods and Results This cross‐sectional study included 172 older adult (≥65 years) survivors of cancer (74±6 years; 58% female). Life's Essential 8 100‐point cardiovascular health score, with higher scores indicative of better cardiovascular health, was calculated based on 8 components: diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep health, body mass index, blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure. Participants were classified as having low (<60), moderate (60–79), or high (≥80) cardiovascular health. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) was used to assess arterial stiffness; with high arterial stiffness defined as a pulse wave velocity ≥10 m/s. The mean cardiovascular health score was 72±11 and 40 survivors (23%) had high arterial stiffness. Compared with low cardiovascular health, the odds ratio of high arterial stiffness was 0.12 (95% CI, 0.03–0.50) and 0.02 (95% CI, 0.003–0.18) for moderate and high cardiovascular health, respectively. Every 10‐point increase in the cardiovascular health score was associated with a 0.43 m/s reduction in pulse wave velocity (P<0.001). Conclusions Greater adherence to the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 was associated with lower prevalence of high arterial stiffness in older adult survivors of cancer. Prospective studies with larger samples are needed.This article is published as Lefferts, E.C., lee, D.C., Greater Adherence to Life's Essential 8 for Cardiovascular Health Is Associated With Lower Arterial Stiffness in Survivors of Cancer. Journal of the American Heart Association. June 2024, 13(12);https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.123.032886. Posted with permission.© 2024 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are mad

Fitness and Fatness as Health Markers through the Lifespan: An Overview of Current Knowledge

There is an increasing body of evidence supporting that both fitness and fatness levels relate to current and future individuals’ health status. In this article, we discuss the meaning of fitness and fatness/obesity, and make an overview of what is currently known about fitness and fatness as potentially modifiable risk factors related to health and disease from preschool children to older adults. We describe the methods available for fitness assessment in each age group, providing reference/criterion values when available. Most of the existing previous reviews are focused on specific age groups with the advantage of allowing more in-depth analysis of the evidence, but the disadvantage of losing the overall understanding of the fitness and fatness binomial through the human lifespan, which is the ultimate goal of the present article