Long-term physical activity protects against metabolic syndrome

What is it about?

The study is part of the ongoing Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development, conducted at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, which has followed the same participants for more than 50 years. In this analysis, researchers examined the leisure-time physical activity of 159 participants at ages 27, 42, 50 and 61, as well as their cardiometabolic health, particularly the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, at age 61. Metabolic syndrome refers to the clustering of several cardiovascular risk factors, such as increased waist circumference, elevated blood pressure, impaired glucose metabolism, and unhealthy blood lipid levels.

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Photo by Jenny Hill on Unsplash

Photo by Jenny Hill on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Compared to the consistently active group, consistently inactive participants had nearly a fourfold risk of metabolic syndrome at the beginning of late adulthood, while those who increased their activity had roughly a twofold risk. These differences diminished after taking into account participants’ current engagement in different types of physical activity at age 61. Of the individual components of metabolic syndrome, long-term leisure-time activity was associated with lower waist circumference and more favourable blood lipid values compared with those who had been less active during adulthood. These differences also decreased once current physical activity was considered. Participants who regularly engaged in muscle-strengthening exercise and active commuting had higher levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol; in addition, those who did muscle-strengthening exercise had, on average, a smaller waist circumference than those who did not.

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