Sex disparities in physical activity domains and hypertension prevalence.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine the associations of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and occupational physical activity (OPA) with the prevalence of hypertension, while exploring the sex disparities in these associations. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2014 and 2019 (n = 26,534). Hypertension was defined as the use of antihypertensive drugs or systolic and diastolic blood pressure ≥ 140/90 mm Hg. Self-reported physical activity (PA), assessed by the global PA questionnaire, was categorized into three domains: total PA, LTPA and OPA. Each PA domain was classified based on METs-min/wk and intensity. RESULTS: In a multivariable adjusted model, the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the prevalence of hypertension in the active versus inactive group, based on METs, was 0.92 (95% CI 0.85-0.99) for total PA, 0.90 (95% CI 0.83-0.98) for LTPA and 1.21 (95% CI 1.05-1.38) for OPA. Compared to the inactive group, moderate to vigorous intensity was associated with a lower odds of hypertension for total PA and LTPA (total PA: OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.89-1.00 and LTPA: OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.86-0.98), but a higher odd for OPA (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.05-1.30). Subgroup analyses showed significant evidence of effect modification by sex on the associations of total PA and LTPA (METs and intensity) with hypertension prevalence (p-values for interaction < 0.01); the associations were generally stronger for women. OPA was associated with a higher prevalence of hypertension in women, but not in men (p-value for interaction > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of total PA and LTPA were associated with lower prevalence of hypertension in both men and women, with slightly stronger associations for women. However, higher OPA was associated with a higher prevalence of hypertension in women. These findings support the PA health paradox hypothesis and highlight the sex disparities in the association between OPA and hypertension prevalence.

Associations of Cardiorespiratory Fitness With Estimated Remnant Cholesterol and Non-High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Healthy Men.

Remnant cholesterol (RC) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) may contribute to the residual risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. High cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with favorable traditional lipid profiles, but its relation with RC and non-HDL-C remains unclear. We analyzed cross-sectional data on 4,613 healthy men (mean age 49 years). CRF was measured using peak oxygen uptake during incremental exercise testing and categorized into quartiles. RC was estimated as total cholesterol minus HDL-C and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and elevated RC was defined as ≥38 mg/100 ml (90 percentile). Non-HDL-C was calculated as total cholesterol minus HDL-C, and high non-HLD-C was defined as ≥190 mg/100 ml. CRF was inversely associated with RC (ß -0.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.39 to -0.24) and non-HDL-C (ß -0.34, 95% CI -0.57 to -0.11) after adjustment for several risk factors. Each metabolic equivalent increment in CRF was associated with lower odds of having elevated RC (odds ratio [OR] 0.85, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.93) and non-HDL-C (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.00) in multivariable analysis. Compared with the bottom quartile, the top quartile of CRF had significantly lower odds of elevated RC (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.88) and non-HDL-C (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.91). In conclusion, higher CRF was independently associated with lower levels of RC and non-HDL-C and lower odds of the prevalence of elevated RC and non-HDL-C in healthy men.

No evidence of a prospective relationship between serum zinc and venous thromboembolism in Caucasian men: a cohort study.

Serum zinc has been implicated as an important mediator of haemostasis and thrombosis. However, the nature and magnitude of any potential relationship between serum zinc and venous thromboembolism (VTE) is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the prospective association between serum zinc and VTE risk. We analyzed data involving 2472 men aged 42-61 years without a history of VTE in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease population-based cohort study, with the assessment of serum zinc concentrations using atomic absorption spectrometry. Hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for incident VTE were estimated. A total of 166 VTE cases occurred during a median follow-up of 27.1 years. The risk of VTE per 1 standard deviation increase in serum zinc in analysis adjusted for systolic blood pressure, body mass index, total cholesterol, triglycerides, smoking status, histories of type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease, medication for dyslipidaemia, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and socioeconomic status was (HR 1.03; 95% CI 0.86-1.22), which remained similar (HR 1.04; 95% CI 0.87-1.23) following further adjustment for inflammation and history of cancer. Comparing the extreme tertiles of serum zinc, the corresponding adjusted HRs (95% CIs) were 0.92 (0.63-1.36) and 0.94 (0.64-1.39), respectively. Imputed results based on 2682 participants and 176 VTE events were consistent with the observed results. In middle-aged and older Finnish men, serum zinc is not associated with future VTE risk. Other large-scale prospective studies conducted in other populations are needed to confirm or refute these findings.

Cardiorespiratory fitness does not offset the increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease attributed to smoking: a cohort study.

Though evidence suggests that higher cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels can offset the adverse effects of other risk factors, it is unknown if CRF offsets the increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to smoking. We aimed to evaluate the combined effects of smoking status and CRF on incident COPD risk using a prospective cohort of 2295 middle-aged and older Finnish men. Peak oxygen uptake, assessed with a respiratory gas exchange analyzer, was used as a measure of CRF. Smoking status was self-reported. CRF was categorised as low and high based on median cutoffs, whereas smoking status was classified into smokers and non-smokers. Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios with confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. During 26 years median follow-up, 119 COPD cases were recorded. Smoking increased COPD risk 10.59 (95% CI 6.64-16.88), and high CRF levels decreased COPD risk 0.43 (95% CI 0.25-0.73). Compared with non-smoker-low CRF, smoker-low CRF was associated with an increased COPD risk in multivariable analysis 9.79 (95% CI 5.61-17.08), with attenuated but persisting evidence of an association for smoker-high CRF and COPD risk 6.10 (95% CI 3.22-11.57). An additive interaction was found between smoking status and CRF (RERI = 6.99). Except for CRF and COPD risk, all associations persisted on accounting for mortality as a competing risk event. Despite a wealth of evidence on the ability of high CRF to offset the adverse effects of other risk factors, it appears high CRF levels have only modest attenuating effects on the very strong association between smoking and COPD risk.

The combined effect of blood pressure and C-reactive protein with the risk of mortality from coronary heart and cardiovascular diseases.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Both blood pressure and C-reactive protein (CRP) are individually associated with cardiovascular mortality risk. However, the combined effect of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and CRP on coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality risk, has not been studied. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated the joint impact of SBP and CRP and the risk of mortality in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease prospective cohort study of 1622 men aged 42-61 years at recruitment with no history of CVD. SBP and CRP were measured. SBP was categorized as low and high (cut-off 135 mmHg) and CRP as low and high (cut-off 1.54 mg/L) based on ROC curves. Multivariable adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. During a median follow-up of 28 years, 196 cases of CHD and 320 cases of CVD deaths occurred. Elevated SBP (>135 mmHg) combined with elevated (CRP >1.54 mg/L) were associated with CHD and CVD mortality (HR 3.41, 95% CI, 2.20-5.28, p < 0.001) and (HR 2.93, 95% CI, 2.11-4.06, p < 0.001) respectively after adjustment for age, examination year, smoking, alcohol consumption, BMI, Type 2 diabetes, energy expenditure, total cholesterol, serum HDL cholesterol, antihypertensive medication and use of aspirin. CONCLUSION: The combined effect of both high systolic blood pressure and high CRP is associated with increased risk of future CHD and CVD mortality as compared with both low SBP and low CRP levels in general male Caucasian population.

Estimated pulse wave velocity is associated with residual-specific mortality: findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

INTRODUCTION: Estimated pulse wave velocity (ePWV) is emerging as a predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Approximately one-third of all deaths are not related to the top nine causes of mortality as defined by the CDC. We examined the association of ePWV with residual-specific mortality in a large sample of US adults. METHODS: Data from the 1999-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used (n = 13 909 adults between the ages of 18-85 years), with follow-up through 2011 (mean follow-up, 104 months). ePWV was calculated from a regression equation using age and mean blood pressure. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, pulse pressure, race/ethnicity, blood lipids, glucose, C-reactive protein, eGFR, smoking, self-reported physical activity, history of hypertension and diabetes, for every 1 m/s increase in ePWV, there was a 17% increased risk of residual-specific mortality (hazard ratio = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.02-1.36; P = 0.03). If using a previously recommended clinical cut-point of 10 m/s, those with an elevated ePWV had an increased risk of 57% (hazard ratio = 1.57; 95% CI = 0.98-2.50; P = 0.06). CONCLUSION: ePWV is associated with residual-specific mortality in a nationally representative sample of adults.

Effects of the Healthy Children, Healthy Families, Healthy Communities Program for Obesity Prevention among Vulnerable Children: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: We aimed to examine whether the Healthy Children, Healthy Families, and Healthy Communities Program, consisting of multi-level strategies for obesity prevention tailoring the context of socioeconomically vulnerable children based on an ecological perspective, would be effective on improving their healthy lifestyle behaviors and obesity status. Methods: Participants were 104 children (and 59 parents) enrolled in public welfare systems in Seoul, South Korea. Based on a cluster-randomized controlled trial (no. ISRCTN11347525), eight centers were randomly assigned to intervention (four centers, 49 children, 27 parents) versus control groups (four centers, 55 children, 32 parents). Multi-level interventions of child-, parent-, and center-level strategies were conducted for 12 weeks. Children's healthy lifestyle behaviors and obesity status were assessed as daily recommended levels and body mass index ≥85th percentile, respectively. Parents' parenting behaviors were measured by the Family Nutrition and Physical Activity scale. Results: Compared to the control group, the intervention group showed significant improvements in total composite scores of healthy-lifestyle behaviors-including 60-min of moderate physical activity-but not in obesity status among children. Moreover, the intervention group showed significant improvements in parenting behaviors among parents. Conclusion: The multi-level strategies for obesity prevention based on an ecological perspective may be effective for promoting healthy lifestyles among socioeconomically vulnerable children.

The effect of remote ischemic pre-conditioning on pulmonary vascular pressure and gas exchange in healthy humans during hypoxia.

This study investigated whether rIPC alters the typical changes in pulmonary arterial pressure, pulmonary gas exchange associated with exercise in hypoxia. METHODS: 16 healthy adults were randomized to either rIPC treatment (n = 8) or control (n = 8). Afterward, subjects performed supine ergometry at constant load (30 W, 40˜50 rpm) for 25 min during hypoxia (12.5% O2). Following a 90˜120 min rest, either rIPC or sham treatment was performed, which was then followed by post-assessment exercise. Throughout exercise, pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (PASP) and mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) were measured via echocardiography, while pulmonary gas exchange was being assessed. RESULTS: The rICP group demonstrated improved PASP and mPAP (p < 0.05), whereas the control group did not. Additionally, breathing efficiency (VE/VCO2) and end-tidal CO2 (PETCO2) were improved in rIPC group (p < 0.05), but not in controls. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that rIPC contributes to reduced pulmonary arterial pressure, and improved pulmonary gas exchange during hypoxic exercise. However, follow-up studies are needed to apply these findings to patient care settings.

Are Metabolically Healthy Overweight/Obese Men at Increased Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death?

OBJECTIVE: To the association between metabolically healthy overweight/obesity and the risk of sudden cardiac death in middle-aged men. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: This prospective study was based on a population sample of 2185 men aged 42 to 60 years from the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. Participants were divided into 4 groups on the basis of body mass index and metabolic health status. Metabolically healthy overweight/obesity was defined as body mass index 25 kg/m2 or greater without metabolic abnormalities, and metabolically unhealthy normal weight was defined as body mass index less than 25 kg/m2 with 1 or more metabolic abnormalities. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 26 years (interquartile range, 18.7-28.1 years), 240 sudden cardiac deaths (11%) occurred. Compared with metabolically healthy normal weight men, metabolically unhealthy overweight/obese men had a higher risk of sudden cardiac death (hazard ratio, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.03-3.85) after adjusting for potential confounders. However, metabolically healthy overweight/obese men were not at increased risk of sudden cardiac death (hazard ratio, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.40-2.24) as compared with their metabolically healthy normal weight counterparts after adjusting for age, smoking, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level, insulin level, history of myocardial infarction, and directly measured peak oxygen uptake. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that metabolically healthy normal weight men and metabolically healthy overweight/obese men were at comparable risk of sudden cardiac death over a 26-year follow-up period, suggesting that a baseline body mass index of 25 kg/m2 or greater per se does not adversely affect the risk of sudden cardiac death.

Relation of heart rate recovery after exercise testing to coronary artery calcification.

BACKGROUND: We examined whether slow heart rate recovery (HRR) after exercise testing as an estimate of impaired autonomic function is related to coronary artery calcification (CAC), an emerging marker of coronary atherosclerosis. METHODS: We evaluated 2088 men who participated in a health-screening program that included measures of CAC and peak or symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise testing. HRR was calculated as the difference between peak heart rate (HR) during exercise testing and the HR at 2 min of recovery after peak exercise. We measured CAC using multidetector computed tomography to calculate the Agatston coronary artery calcium score. Advanced CAC was defined as a mean CAC >75th percentile for each age group. RESULTS: HRR was negatively correlated with CAC (r = -.14, p < .01). After adjusting for conventional risk factors, participants in the lowest quartile of HRR (<38 bpm) were 1.59 times (95% CI: 1.17-2.18; p < .05) more likely to have advanced CAC than their counterparts in the highest quartile of HRR (>52 bpm). Each 1 bpm decrease in HRR was associated with 1% increase in advanced CAC after adjusting for potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: An attenuated HRR after exercise testing is associated with advanced CAC, independent of coronary risk factors and other related hemodynamic response. KEY MESSAGES Slow heart rate recovery (HRR) after maximal exercise testing, indicating decreased autonomic function, is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular event and mortality. Slow HRR has been linked with the occurrence of malignant ventricular arrhythmias, but it remains unclear whether slow HRR is associated with an increased risk of coronary artery calcification (CAC), an emerging marker of coronary atherosclerosis. An attenuated HRR after exercise testing was associated with advanced CAC, independent of coronary risk factors and other potential hemodynamic confounder, supporting the hypothesis that slow HRR is related to the burden of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.

Changes in cardiorespiratory fitness predict incident hypertension: A population-based long-term study.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether long-term changes in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) predict the risk of incident hypertension, independent of risk factors, in initially normotensive men. METHODS: This prospective study from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Study included 431 male participants without hypertension who underwent symptom-limited maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing at baseline and during a second examination, 11-years later, who were re-evaluated for hypertension at 20-year follow-up. Changes in CRF (%) were calculated as the difference in directly measured maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max ) between the baseline and second examination, and classified into decreasing tertiles as percentages. Hypertension was defined as systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg or hypertension that required antihypertensive medication as diagnosed by a physician. RESULTS: During a 10-year follow-up after the second examination, 165 men (38%) developed hypertension. Men who demonstrated the largest decline in CRF between evaluations (-62.1% to -20.2%) had a 4.33-fold (95% CI 2.32-8.07, P < .001) risk of incident hypertension compared to men with the smallest decrease or improvement in CRF (-8.8% to 82.0%), after adjusting for age, follow-up duration, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, serum low and high density lipoprotein cholesterol, body mass index, daily energy expenditure (kcal) via physical activity, glomerular filtration rate, and baseline systolic blood pressure and VO2max . CONCLUSIONS: The present findings indicate that more marked decreases in measured CRF over time are independently associated with the risk of incident hypertension in men, suggesting that CRF should be considered a causal risk factor to predict future hypertension.

Long-term Change in Cardiorespiratory Fitness and All-Cause Mortality: A Population-Based Follow-up Study.

Few studies have investigated long-term changes in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), defined by indirect measures of CRF, and all-cause mortality. We aimed to investigate whether long-term change in CRF, as assessed by the gold standard method of respiratory gas exchange during exercise, is associated with all-cause mortality. A population-based sample of 579 men aged 42 to 60 years with no missing data at baseline examination (V1) and at reexamination at 11 years (V2) were included. Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) was measured at both visits using respiratory gas exchange during maximal exercise testing, and the difference (ΔVO2max) was calculated as VO2max (V2) - VO2max (V1). Deaths were ascertained annually using national death certificates during 15 years of follow-up after V2. The mean ΔVO2max was -5.2 mL/min*kg. During median follow-up of 13.3 years (interquartile range, 12.5-14.0 years), 123 deaths (21.2%) were recorded. In a multivariate analysis adjusted for baseline age, VO2max, systolic blood pressure, smoking status, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels, C-reactive protein level, body mass index, alcohol consumption, physical activity, socioeconomic status, and history of type 2 diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease, a 1 mL/min*kg higher ΔVO2max was associated with a 9% relative risk reduction of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.87-0.95). This study suggested that in this population, long-term CRF reduction was associated with an increased risk of mortality, emphasizing the importance of maintaining good CRF over the decades.

Impaired pulmonary function is a risk predictor for sudden cardiac death in men.

OBJECTIVES: Little is known about the association of reduced pulmonary function and the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Our aim was to examine the relation of forced expiratory volume (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and the ratio of FEV1 to FVC with SCD in a population-based sample of men. METHODS: This study was based on 1250 men 42-60 years of age without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and lung cancer. During the 20-year follow-up, 95 SCDs occurred. FEV1, FVC, and ratio of FEV1 to FVC were used as lung function tests. RESULTS: As a continuous variable, each 10% increase in the percentage predicted FEV1 was associated with 18% (adjusted risk 0.82, 95% CI 0.73-0.93, P < 0.002) reduced risk for SCD. Subjects with most reduced (lowest quintile) FEV1 had a 3.5-fold increased risk for SCD (95% CI 1.42-8.41, P = 0.006), after adjustment for conventional risk factors. Similar results were observed with FVC. The results remained statistically significant among non-smokers and smokers respectively. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that reduced lung function is a robust predictor of SCD in middle-aged men. Lung function test may be useful in risk stratification for SCD in general population.

Association between HOMA-IR, fasting insulin and fasting glucose with coronary heart disease mortality in nondiabetic men: a 20-year observational study.

Whether glucose and insulin are differently associated with the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality is unclear. We aimed to estimate the association between insulin resistance (estimated by the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance, HOMA-IR), fasting serum insulin (FI) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) with incident CHD mortality in a prospective study including middle-aged nondiabetic Finnish men. During an average follow-up of 20 years, 273 (11 %) CHD deaths occurred. In a multivariable Cox regression analysis adjusted for age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, serum LDL-cholesterol, cigarette smoking, history of CHD, alcohol consumption, blood leukocytes and plasma fibrinogen, the hazard ratios (HRs) for CHD mortality comparing top versus bottom quartiles were as follows: 1.69 (95 % CI: 1.15-2.48; p = 0.008) for HOMA-IR; 1.59 (1.09-2.32; p = 0.016) for FI; and 1.26 (0.90-1.76; p = 0.173) for FPG. These findings suggest that IR and FI, but not FPG, are independent risk factors for CHD mortality. Further studies could help clarify these results in terms of screening and risk stratification, causality of the associations, and therapeutical implications.

Health-promoting behaviour among women with abdominal obesity: a conceptual link to social support and perceived stress.

AIM: To identify a conceptual link among health-promoting behaviour, interpersonal support and perceived stress and to examine whether the link between interpersonal support and health-promoting behaviour would be mediated by perceived stress among women with abdominal obesity. BACKGROUND: Abdominal obesity is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease in women and its reduction can be achieved by weight loss. Adopting health-promoting behaviour may be critical for successful weight loss. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, correlational study design. METHOD: Study participants were 126 women with abdominal obesity, who comprised a baseline sample in the Community-based, Heart and Weight Management Trial. The Data were collected between September 2010-November 2011. A multiple regression analysis and Sobel's test were performed. FINDINGS: Higher levels of interpersonal support and lower levels of perceived stress were significantly associated with higher levels of health-promoting behaviour, after controlling for age, obesity-related comorbidity, postmenopausal status and current smoking in the regression models. The association between interpersonal support and health-promoting behaviour was significantly mediated by perceived stress in the Sobel's test; the magnitude of the association between interpersonal support and health-promoting behaviour decreased when adding perceived stress to the predictor variables in the regression model. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate the practical significance of identifying the levels of interpersonal support and perceived stress among women seeking weight management interventions. Nurses need to develop effective strategies for enhancing social support and stress management skills in weight management interventions for facilitating health-promoting behaviour.

Lifestyle Factors and Coronary Artery Calcification.

The effective prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a global health challenge. Adopting a combined primary (prevention of the first episode of coronary heart disease or stroke) and primordial (prevention of the causal risk factors of CVD) prevention strategy is the best approach to prevent CVD. Most importantly, the primordial prevention strategy should in the first place be to promote cardiovascular health across individual and population levels by improving the underlying causal risk factors for CVD (i.e., unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, obesity, and cigarette smoking). Epidemiological evidence indicates that maintaining favorable underlying risk factors (lifestyle factors) is associated with a lower risk of incident CVD. Prevention of early atherosclerotic vascular disease is also an important strategy to prevent CVD. However, there has been limited research on the association between lifestyle factors and early atherosclerotic vascular disease (i.e., coronary or carotid atherosclerosis) across race and gender groups in population-based studies. This article briefly reviews whether lifestyle factors relate to subclinical atherosclerosis as assessed by coronary artery calcification in asymptomatic individuals.

Effect of cardiorespiratory fitness on acute inflammation induced increases in arterial stiffness in older adults.

We tested the hypothesis that acute inflammation may cause arterial stiffening in older adults. We further explored if high cardiorespiratory fitness may partially prevent the unfavorable effect of arterial stiffening produced by acute systemic inflammation in older adults. Using a randomized double-blind sham placebo-controlled design, forty healthy older adults were assigned to receive either an influenza vaccine or a sham vaccine. C-reactive protein and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were measured as markers of inflammation. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AIX) as indices of arterial stiffness and wave reflection were assessed at baseline and 24 and 48 h after each vaccination. When compared with sham placebo, the influenza vaccination caused a significant increase in CRP (p < 0.05) and IL-6 (p < 0.05). Carotid-femoral PWV, but not AIX was significantly increased after influenza vaccination (p < 0.05), but not sham vaccination. The high cardiorespiratory fitness group had an attenuated increase in PWV as compared to the low cardiorespiratory fitness group after acute inflammation (p < 0.05). These findings show that acute inflammation may cause significant increases in arterial stiffness in older adults, but these increases were attenuated in the high cardiorespiratory fitness group as compared to the low cardiorespiratory fitness group.

The inverse association between cardiorespiratory fitness and C-reactive protein is mediated by autonomic function: a possible role of the cholinergic antiinflammatory pathway.

Although studies have shown an inverse association between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. There is emerging evidence that autonomic nervous system function is related to CRP levels. Because high CRF is related to improved autonomic function, we hypothesized that the association between high CRF and low CRP levels would be affected by autonomic nervous system function. Cross-sectional analyses were conducted on 2,456 asymptomatic men who participated in a medical screening program. Fasting blood samples for cardiovascular disease risk factors were analyzed, and CRF was measured by maximal exercise treadmill test with expired gas analysis. We used an index of cardiac autonomic imbalance defined as the ratio of resting heart rate to 1 min of heart rate recovery after exercise (RHR/HRR). CRF was significantly correlated with CRP (r = -0.16, P < 0.05), and RHR/HRR (r = -0.48, P < 0.05), while RHR/HRR was significantly correlated with CRP (r = 0.25, P < 0.05). In multivariable linear regression models that adjusted for age, body mass index, smoking, disease status, medications, lipid profiles, glucose, and systolic blood pressure, CRF was inversely associated with CRP (beta = -0.09, P < 0.05). However, this relationship was no longer significant after adjusting for RHR/HRR in a multivariable linear regression model (beta = -0.03, P = 0.29). These results suggest that autonomic nervous system function significantly affects the relationship between CRF and inflammation in middle-aged men. Thus, physical activity or exercise training may favorably affect the cholinergic antiinflammatory pathway, but additional research is needed to confirm this finding.

Relation of cardiorespiratory fitness to inflammatory markers, fibrinolytic factors, and lipoprotein(a) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Increased inflammation, fibrinolytic factors, and lipoprotein(a) (LP[a]) were associated with increased cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes, whereas higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) were associated with a lower incidence of cardiovascular mortality. Whether CRF is associated with inflammatory markers, fibrinolytic factors, and LP(a) in patients with type 2 diabetes was investigated. A total of 425 men with type 2 diabetes (mean age 55 +/- 8 years) who participated in a medical screening program were studied. CRF was measured using peak oxygen uptake with expired gas analysis during a symptom-limited exercise test. CRF inversely correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP; r = -0.27, p <0.05), white blood cell count (r = -0.13, p <0.05), fibrinogen (r = -0.28, p <0.05), LP(a) (r = -0.53, p <0.05), tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) antigen (r = -0.65, p <0.05), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity (r = -0.17, p <0.05). Men in the highest tertile of CRF had significantly lower CRP, white blood cell count, fibrinogen, LP(a), and t-PA than men in the lowest tertile of CRF (all p <0.05). In separate multivariable linear regression models that adjusted for age, body mass index, smoking, lipid profiles, glucose, and systolic blood pressure, CRP (beta = -0.23, p <0.05), white blood cell count (beta = -0.16, p <0.05), fibrinogen (beta = -0.24, p <0.05), LP(a) (beta = -0.28, p <0.05), and t-PA (beta = -0.69, p <0.05) were each inversely associated with CRF. Each MET increment higher peak oxygen uptake was associated with a lower odds ratio of having abnormal LP(a) (odds ratio 0.43, 95% confidence interval 0.20 to 0.91) in a multivariate logistic regression model. In conclusion, CRF was inversely associated with inflammatory markers, fibrinolytic factors, and LP(a) in men with type 2 diabetes.