From Boston U: Sustained and Shorter Bouts of Physical Activity are Related to Cardiovascular Health

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22895372

Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2012 Aug 14. [Epub ahead of print]

Sustained and Shorter Bouts of Physical Activity are Related to Cardiovascular Health.

Glazer NL, Lyass A, Esliger DW, Blease SJ, Freedson PS, Massaro JM, Murabito JM, Vasan RS.

Source

1Section of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 2National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA 3Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Boston University, Boston, MA 4School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK 5Department of Kinesiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 6Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA.

Abstract

PURPOSE:

Whereas greater physical activity (PA) is known to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD), the relative importance of performing PA in sustained bouts of activity versus shorter bouts of activity on CVD risk is not known. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), measured in bouts ≥10 minutes and <10 minutes, and CVD risk factors in a well-characterized, community-based sample of white adults.

METHODS:

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 2109 Framingham Heart Study Third Generation participants (mean age 47 years, 55% women) who underwent objective assessment of PA by accelerometry over 5-7 days. Total MVPA, MVPA done in bouts ≥10 minutes (MVPA10+), and MVPA done in bouts <10 minutes (MVPA<10) were calculated. MVPA exposures were related to individual CVD risk factors, including measures of adiposity and blood lipid and glucose levels, using linear and logistic regression.

RESULTS:

Total MVPA was significantly associated with higher high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels, and with lower triglycerides, BMI, waist circumference and Framingham risk score (P <0.0001). MVPA<10 showed similar statistically significant associations with these CVD risk factors (P <0.001). Compliance with national guidelines (≥150 minutes of total MVPA) was significantly related to lower BMI, triglycerides, Framingham risk score, waist circumference, higher HDL, and a lower prevalence of obesity and impaired fasting glucose (P < 0.001 for all).

CONCLUSIONS:

Our cross-sectional observations on a large middle-aged community-based sample confirm a positive association of MVPA with a healthier CVD risk factor profile, and indicate that accruing physical activity in bouts <10 minutes may favorably influence cardiometabolic risk. Additional investigations are warranted to confirm our findings.