Longitudinal association between fitness and metabolic syndrome: a population-based study over 29 years follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the longitudinal associations between fitness and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in community-dwelling adults over 29 years of follow-up. DESIGN: Ongoing, population-based cohort study of adults aged ≥ 33 years at baseline residing in the city of Bad Schönborn, Germany. METHODS: The sample comprised 89 persons (41 females; mean age 40.1 years at baseline) who participated at baseline (in the year 1992) and 29-years follow-up (in the year 2021). Fitness (predictor variable) was assessed using 15 standardized and validated tests that measured strength, gross motor coordination, mobility/ flexibility and cardiorespiratory fitness/ endurance, and a z-transformed fitness score was calculated for analysis. MetS (outcome of interest) was assessed through five criteria related to waist circumference, blood glucose, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure, and a sum score was created for analysis. We ran partial correlations to examine the association between fitness score at baseline and MetS score at 29-years follow-up, adjusted for age, sex, socio-economic status, smoking status, sleep quality, and physical activity engagement in minutes/ week. RESULTS: A higher fitness score at baseline was significantly associated with a lower MetS score indicative of better metabolic health at 29-years follow-up (r=-0.29; p = 0.011). These associations were present in participants aged ≤ 40 years (r=-0.33; p = 0.025) as well as those aged > 40 years (r=-0.43; p = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS: Fitness may be a predictor of longitudinal metabolic health, and potentially also mediates previously reported longitudinal associations between physical activity and metabolic health. More research is needed to confirm these observations, and to also explore underlying mechanisms.

Physical Activity and Trajectory of Cognitive Change in Older Persons: Mayo Clinic Study of Aging.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the association between physical activity (PA) and cognitive trajectories in older adults. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between PA and change in memory, language, attention, visuospatial skills, and global cognition, and a potential impact of sex or Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4 status. METHODS: Longitudinal study derived from the population-based Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, including 2,060 cognitively unimpaired males and females aged ≥70 years. Engagement in midlife (ages 50-65) and late-life (last year) PA was assessed using a questionnaire. Neuropsychological testing was done every 15 months (mean follow-up 5.8 years). We ran linear mixed-effect models to examine whether mid- or late-life PA at three intensities (mild, moderate, vigorous) was associated with cognitive z-scores. RESULTS: Light intensity midlife PA was associated with less decline in memory function compared to the no-PA reference group (time x light PA; estimate [standard error] 0.047 [0.016], p = 0.004). Vigorous late-life PA was associated with less decline in language (0.033 [0.015], p = 0.030), attention (0.032 [0.017], p = 0.050), and global cognition (0.039 [0.016], p = 0.012). Females who were physically inactive in midlife experienced more pronounced cognitive decline than females physically active in midlife and males regardless of PA (p-values for time interaction terms with midlife PA levels and sex were all p < 0.05 for global cognition). APOE ɛ4 carriership did not moderate the association between PA and cognition. CONCLUSION: Engaging in PA, particularly of vigorous intensity in late-life, was associated with less pronounced decline in global and domain-specific cognition. This association may differ by sex.

Health-Related Fitness in Adults From Eight European Countries-An Analysis Based on Data From the European Fitness Badge.

BACKGROUND: There are conflicting reports about the fitness status of European adults, partly due to the lack of a standardized fitness test battery used across Europe. The European Fitness Badge (EFB) was developed in 2017 as an online-based tool to assess the health-related fitness of persons aged ≥ 18 years residing in European countries. We examined the demographic characteristics and fitness status of persons who completed the EFB between June 2017 and May 2019. METHODS: We conducted a multinational study in eight European countries. Participants completed the EFB which includes 11 validated motor tests to measure endurance, strength, coordination, and flexibility performance, under the supervision of an EFB instructor in different settings (e.g., sports club sessions, public events). Two different test batteries [test profiles (TPs)] are available to distinguish between less active (TP1) and active individuals (TP2). We calculated descriptive statistics and conducted analyses of variance to examine sample characteristics and a potential impact of sex, age, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, and posture on fitness as assessed by the EFB. RESULTS: The sample included 6,019 adults (68.7% females; mean age 52.7 years; age range 18-89 years). Participants who completed TP1 were older (TP1: 61.4 years; TP2: 44.2 years; p = 0.00), reported a lower level of physical activity (TP1: 3.8; TP2: 4.0; p = 0.00), had a higher BMI (TP1: 25.7; TP2: 24.3; p = 0.00) and a higher frequency of postural abnormalities (TP1: 43%; TP2: 33%; p = 0.00) than TP2 participants. Among 3,034 participants who completed TP2, males had higher performance in endurance, strength, and overall fitness, whereas females performed better in coordination and flexibility tests. In addition, younger age, lower BMI, and higher level of physical activity engagement were associated with better EFB test performance. CONCLUSION: The EFB can be used to assess the health-related fitness status of individuals aged ≥ 18 years. Our results show that TP1 and TP2 were completed by persons from the respective target groups (i.e., less active vs. active), and also confirm findings from previous studies on potential determinants of fitness such as sex or age.

Association of non-exercise physical activity in mid- and late-life with cognitive trajectories and the impact of APOE ε4 genotype status: the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging.

In this study derived from the population-based Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, we investigated whether non-exercise physical activity (PA) was associated with global and domain-specific cognitive trajectories (memory, language, visuospatial skills, attention) and whether the association differed by apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 genotype status. We included 2061 community-dwelling individuals aged ≥ 70 years (50.5% males, 26.7% APOE ε4 carriers) who were cognitively unimpaired at baseline and on whom serial cognitive data and self-reported information on non-exercise PA were available. We specifically inquired about non-exercise PA carried out at two time points, i.e., midlife (between 50 and 65 years of age) and late-life (within 1 year prior to assessment) and three intensity levels, i.e., light (e.g., laundry), moderate (e.g., scrubbing floors) and heavy (e.g., hard manual labor). Linear mixed-effect models revealed that engaging in midlife PA of moderate or heavy intensity was associated with significantly less-pronounced decline of z-scores in all cognitive domains. Similarly, participants that engaged in late-life moderate or heavy PA had less decline in visuospatial, attention and global z-scores than non-active peers. These associations varied depending on APOE ε4 carrier status, i.e., APOE ε4 non-carriers but not APOE ε4 carriers that engaged in late-life PA had less decline in cognitive z-scores. In contrast, engaging in midlife PA, irrespective of intensity, was significantly associated with less decline in memory function only among APOE ε4 carriers.

Does a 20-week aerobic exercise training programme increase our capabilities to buffer real-life stressors? A randomized, controlled trial using ambulatory assessment.

PURPOSE: The cross-stressor adaptation hypothesis suggests that regular exercise leads to adaptations in the stress response systems that induce decreased physiological responses to psychological stressors. Even though an exercise intervention to buffer the detrimental effects of psychological stressors on health might be of utmost importance, empirical evidence is mixed. This may be explained by the use of cross-sectional designs and non-personally relevant stressors. Using a randomized controlled trial, we hypothesized that a 20-week aerobic exercise training does reduce physiological stress responses to psychological real-life stressors in sedentary students. METHODS: Sixty-one students were randomized to either a control group or an exercise training group. The academic examination period (end of the semester) served as a real-life stressor. We used ambulatory assessment methods to assess physiological stress reactivity of the autonomic nervous system (heart rate variability: LF/HF, RMSSD), physical activity and perceived stress during 2 days of everyday life and multilevel models for data analyses. Aerobic capacity (VO2max) was assessed pre- and post-intervention via cardiopulmonary exercise testing to analyze the effectiveness of the intervention. RESULTS: During real-life stressors, the exercise training group showed significantly reduced LF/HF (ß = -0.15, t = -2.59, p = .01) and increased RMSSD (ß = 0.15, t = 2.34, p = .02) compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Using a randomized controlled trial and a real-life stressor, we could show that exercise appears to be a useful preventive strategy to buffer the effects of stress on the autonomic nervous system, which might result into detrimental health outcomes.

Characteristics of the activity-affect association in inactive people: an ambulatory assessment study in daily life.

Acute and regular exercise as well as physical activity (PA) is related to well-being and positive affect. Recent studies have shown that even daily, unstructured physical activities increase positive affect. However, the attempt to achieve adherence to PA or exercise in inactive people through public health interventions has often been unsuccessful. Most studies analyzing the activity-affect association in daily life, did not report participants' habitual activity behavior. Thus, samples included active and inactive people, but they did not necessarily exhibit the same affective reactions to PA in daily life. Therefore the present study investigated whether the association between PA and subsequent affective state in daily life can also be observed in inactive individuals. We conducted a pilot study with 29 inactive university students (mean age 21.3 ± 1.7 years) using the method of ambulatory assessment. Affect was assessed via electronic diary and PA was measured with accelerometers. Participants had to rate affect every 2 h on a six item bipolar scale reflecting the three basic mood dimensions energetic arousal, valence, and calmness. We calculated activity intensity level [mean Metabolic Equivalent (MET) value] and the amount of time spent in light activity over the last 15 min before every diary prompt and conducted within-subject correlations. We did not find significant associations between activity intensity and the three mood dimensions. Due to the high variability in within-subject correlations we conclude that not all inactive people show the same affective reactions to PA in daily life. Analyzing the PA-affect association of inactive people was difficult due to little variance and distribution of the assessed variables. Interactive assessment and randomized controlled trials might help solving these problems. Future studies should examine characteristics of affective responses of inactive people to PA in daily life. General assumptions considering the relation between affect and PA might not be suitable for this target group.