Leisure-time physical activity prevents arterial stiffness in adults

Adults who engage in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) may benefit from better cardiometabolic health and are less likely to experience large artery stiffening, suggests a study.

“LTPA ... reduces carotid-to-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) by acting in different ways according to age,” the authors said.

This mediation analysis used cross-sectional data from 13,718 adults, aged 35–74 years, at the baseline of the ELSA-Brasil study. The authors obtained the cr-PWV by measuring the pulse transit time and the distance travelled by the pulse between the carotid and the femoral. They also measured the clinical and anthropometric parameters among participants.

Finally, the long form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was applied to measure the levels of LTPA.

Classical cardiovascular risk factors each correlated with cr-PWV. In path analysis, increased LTPA levels directly correlated with a lower cf-PWV in both men and women (β, −0.123 vs 0.065; p=0.165 for sex), except for diabetes.

In addition, the mediated effect of LTPA on systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, BMI, and fasting glucose also significantly correlated with a reduced cf-PWV in men and women (β, −0.113 vs −0.104; p=0.692), except for diabetes.

“When age was tested as a moderator, the direct effect did not change significantly according to participants’ age, regardless of sex,” the authors said. “However, the mediated effect increases in both men and women over 50 years.”