Rationale:
The amount of leisure time physical activity is clearly linked to risk for future cardiovascular events. Recently, increased arterial stiffness has been linked to poor cardiovascular health and prognosis.
Objectives:
To examine the relationship in apparently healthy subjects between self-reported leisure time physical activity and arterial stiffness.
Methodology:
248 apparently healthy subjects participated in this study. Subjects were asked to define the number of hours on a weekly basis they participated in leisure time physical activity and underwent the following assessments; 1. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing, 2. Blood lipid analysis. 3. Measurement of aortic wave velocity (AWV) via magnetic resonance imaging. Subjects were divided into two groups according to self-reported leisure time physical activity (<= 2 hours/week or >2 hours/week). Unpaired t-testing compared key variables between groups. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results:
148 subjects (88 male/60 female) reported >2 hours/week of leisure time physical activity. The remaining 100 subjects (88 male/60 female) reported <=2 hours/week of leisure time physical activity. Age between the groups was similar (46.9 +/- 15.0 vs. 48.0 +/- 16.5 years, P = .59) Subjects in the >2 hours/week of leisure time physical activity subgroup had a higher maximal oxygen consumption (43.5 +/- 10.9 vs. 32.7 +/- 10.5 mlO2*kg-1*min-1, P < 0.001), high density lipoprotein level (63.7 +/- 18.1 vs. 53.6 +/- 14.0 mg/dL, P < 0.001) and a lower low density lipoprotein level (110.7 +/- 31.0 vs. 118.5 +/- 28.2 mg/dL, P < 0.05) and triglyceride level (97.0 +/- 80.5 vs. 131.6 +/- 80.7 mg/dL, P < 0.01). Lastly, AWV was significantly lower in the group reporting >2 hours/week of leisure time physical activity (5.9 +/- 1.6 vs. 6.6 +/- 2.0 meters/second, P < 0.01).
Conclusions:
A higher level of aerobic fitness and more favorable blood lipid profile in the group reporting a greater amount of leisure time physical activity is not particularly surprising. A significantly lower AWV, indicating improved arterial compliance, in this group is, however, novel. The results of the present study highlight the clinical value of determining an individual's physical activity habits when assessing cardiovascular health.