ABSTRACT
Background: Sedentary behavior is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality. Aim: To investigate whether the associations between sedentary behavior and cardiometabolic markers differs across physical activity levels. Materials and Methods: Cross sectional study of 314 participants aged 18 to 65 years. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference were measured, and body fat was derived from the sum of four skinfolds. Physical activity was measured objectively using accelerometers (Actigraph GT1M, USA®). A fasting blood sample was obtained to measure glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, lipid profile and high sensitive C reactive protein (hsCRP). Those participants with an activity level > 600 MET.min-1.week-1 were classified as physically active. Results: Thirty four percent of participants were physically inactive and spent an average of 8.7 h.day-1 in sedentary pursuits. Physically inactive individuals had poorer cardiometabolic health than their physically active counterparts. Per one hour decrease in overall sedentary behavior, there was a significant improvement in glucose (-8.46 and -4.68 mg.dl-1), insulin (-2.12 and -1.77 pmol.l-1), HOMA-IR (-0.81 and -0.56) BMI (-0.93 and -0.62 kg.m-2) and waist circumference (-2.32 and -1.65 cm) in physically active and inactive participants, respectively. Conclusions: Being physically active may modify the detrimental effects of sedentary behavior on cardiometabolic and obesity-related traits.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Middle Aged , Young Adult , Exercise/physiology , Sedentary Behavior , Obesity/blood , Reference Values , Time Factors , Triglycerides/blood , Blood Pressure , C-Reactive Protein/analysis , Biomarkers/blood , Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology , Cardiovascular Diseases/metabolism , Body Mass Index , Sex Factors , Cholesterol/blood , Cross-Sectional Studies , Risk Factors , Statistics, Nonparametric , Glycemic Index , Educational Status , Waist Circumference , Obesity/physiopathologyABSTRACT
Background: A high level of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is an important protector against cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Aim: To explore the association of CRF with several metabolic markers and estimate the variation of these parameters by an increase of 1 MET change in CRF. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study of 447 adults (56% women) without medical history of cardiometabolic diseases. Physical activity evaluated using accelerometry, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, blood glucose and insulin and lipid profile were measured. HOMA-IR was calculated with fasting glucose and insulin levels. The submaximal Chester Step Test was used to measure CRF. Results: CRF was significantly associated with the level and intensity of physical activity, and all metabolic markers (p-trend < 0.05), except with diastolic blood pressure. It was estimated that 1-MET increase in CRF is associated with waist circumference (β -0.32 cm), fat mass (β -0.22%), insulin (β -0.67 pmol.l-1), HOMA-IR (β -0.17) and HDL cholesterol (β +1.46 mg.dl-1). All these associations were independent of main covariates such as age, sex, education, smoking and body mass index. Conclusions: A higher level of CRF is inversely associated with several metabolic markers that are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.