Higher exercise volume and intensity tied to lower CVD risk: Study
UK: Daily higher volume and intensity of physical activity (PA) is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), finds a recent study published in MedRxiv.org as a preprint and has not yet been peer-reviewed. Further, the role of moderately intense PA appears to be important for future CVD risk.
CVD benefits of both overall volume and intensity of PA are known, however, the role of PA intensity over and above volume is not well understood. Considering this, Paddy C. Dempsey, Diabetes Research Centre, College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK, and colleagues aimed to investigate the interplay between PA volume and intensity in relation to incident CVD.
For this purpose, the researchers obtained data from 88,412 UK Biobank participants without prevalent CVD (58% women) who wore an accelerometer on their dominant wrist for 7 days. From this total physical activity, energy expenditure (PAEE) was estimated using population-specific validation. Associations between PAEE (kJ/kg/day)] and PA intensity [%MVPA; the fraction of PAEE accumulated from moderate-to-vigorous-intensity PA] with incident CVD, adjusted for potential confounders was modeled through Cox proportional hazards regressions.
Based on the study, the researchers found the following:
- There were 4,068 CVD events during 584,568 person-years of follow-up (median 6.8 years).
- Higher PAEE and higher %MVPA (adjusted for PAEE) were associated with lower rates of incident CVD.
- In interaction analyses, CVD rates were 17% lower when MVPA accounted for 20% rather than 10% of 15 kJ/kg/d PAEE; equivalent to the difference between a 12-min stroll into a brisk 7-min walk.
- CVD rates did not differ significantly between values of PAEE when the %MVPA was fixed at 10%. However, the combination of higher PAEE and %MVPA was associated with lower CVD rates.
- Rates were 24% (10-35%) lower for 20 kJ/kg/d PAEE with 20% from MVPA, and 49% (23-66%) lower for 30 kJ/kg/d with 40% from MVPA (compared to 15 kJ/kg/d PAEE with 10% MVPA).
"Higher daily physical activity levels and intensity, both objectively measured, are each associated with reduced risk of new-onset CVD in both men and women," wrote the authors. "Intensity of physical activity seems to show a stronger association with CVD risk."
Reference:
The study titled, "Association of Physical Activity Volume and Intensity with Incident Cardiovascular Disease: a UK Biobank Study," appears as preprint in MedRxiv.org.
