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The effect of 2 walking programs on aerobic fitness, body composition, and physical activity in sedentary office employees.
Rodriguez-Hernandez, MG, Wadsworth, DW
PloS one. 2019;(1):e0210447
Abstract
PURPOSE The present study examined changes in body composition, maximum oxygen uptake, and physical activity in sedentary office employees prescribed with two different walking programs during a 10-week intervention. METHODS 68 sedentary employees were randomly assigned to one of three groups: multiple bouts of walking (n = 24 (5 male, 19 female) Age = 46±9, BMI = 30.5±5.78 kg/m2), continuous walking (n = 22 (6 male, 16 female) Age = 48±9, BMI = 30.6±6.2 kg/m2) and the control group (n = 22 (5 male, 17 female) Age = 42±10, BMI = 27.5±5.23 kg/m2). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (iDXA) assessed body composition and a Bruce protocol treadmill test assessed aerobic fitness at baseline and week 11. At baseline, week 6 and week 11 a waist worn accelerometer measured physical activity and sedentary behavior. Physical activity was measured throughout the program with a wrist worn accelerometer. RESULTS The results from the mixed-design ANOVA show that fat mass (p < .000) and fat percentage (p < .000) decreased for all three groups as a main effect of time. Sedentary behavior did not change (p>0.05) for all three groups. Moderate intensity physical activity increased significantly from pre-test to week 6 (p<0.05), then decreased from week 6 to post-test (p<0.05), with no significant changes observed from pre-test to post-test (p>0.05) for all groups. No changes in VO2 were observed (p>0.05) for all groups. CONCLUSIONS Continuous or intermittent walking activity produce similar benefits on body weight, fat mass and body fat percentage in sedentary employees. Meanwhile, intermittent walking allowed these sedentary employees to increase lean mass and fat free mass. Intermittent walking could provide at least similar benefits on body composition compared to a continuous walking program.
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Six weeks of oral Echinacea purpurea supplementation does not enhance the production of serum erythropoietin or erythropoietic status in recreationally active males with above-average aerobic fitness.
Martin, TD, Green, MS, Whitehead, MT, Scheett, TP, Webster, MJ, Hudson, GM
Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme. 2019;(7):791-795
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 6 weeks of oral Echinacea purpurea supplementation on serum erythropoietin (EPO) and erythropoietic status. Twenty-four males (mean ± SE; age = 25.2 ± 1.4 years, height = 178.1 ± 1.4 cm, body mass = 78.1 ± 1.6 kg, body fat = 12.7 ± 0.9%, maximal oxygen uptake = 52.9 ± 0.9 mL·kg-1·min-1) were randomly grouped using a matched-pair, double-blind design and self-administered 8000 mg·day-1 of either E. purpurea (n = 12) or placebo (n = 12) for 42 consecutive days. Blood samples were collected prior to supplementation (day 0) and every 2 weeks during the supplementation period (days 14, 28, and 42) and were analyzed for EPO, red blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. Separate 2 × 4 (group × time) factorial ANOVA with repeated measures on time were used to determine statistical differences with significance set at p ≤ 0.05. There were no significant interaction, group, or time effects observed for EPO or erythropoietic status markers for any of the measurement points (p ≤ 0.05). The present study indicated that 6 weeks of oral E. purpurea supplementation in recreationally active males with above average aerobic fitness did not enhance EPO or erythropoietic status. These findings are in contrast with previous reports of E. purpurea supplementation in untrained participants with average fitness levels, but consistent with observations in trained endurance athletes.
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An epigenetic score for BMI based on DNA methylation correlates with poor physical health and major disease in the Lothian Birth Cohort.
Hamilton, OKL, Zhang, Q, McRae, AF, Walker, RM, Morris, SW, Redmond, P, Campbell, A, Murray, AD, Porteous, DJ, Evans, KL, et al
International journal of obesity (2005). 2019;(9):1795-1802
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Abstract
BACKGROUND The relationship between obesity and adverse health is well established, but little is known about the contribution of DNA methylation to obesity-related health outcomes. This study tests associations between an epigenetic score for body mass index (BMI) and health-related, cognitive, psychosocial and lifestyle outcomes in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. This study also tests whether these associations are independent of phenotypic BMI. METHOD Analyses were conducted using data from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (n = 892). Weights for the epigenetic BMI score were derived using penalised regression on methylation data from unrelated Generation Scotland participants (n = 2562). Associations were tested for replication in an independent sample: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921 (n = 433). RESULTS A higher epigenetic BMI score was associated with higher BMI (R2 = 0.1), greater body weight (R2 = 0.06), greater time taken to walk 6 m, poorer lung function and poorer general physical health (all R2 = 0.02), greater levels of triglycerides (R2 = 0.09), greater %total HbA1c (R2 = 0.06), lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL; R2 = 0.08), higher HDL ratio (HDL/total cholesterol; R2 = 0.03), lower health-related quality of life, physical inactivity, and greater social deprivation (all R2 = 0.02). The epigenetic BMI score (per SD) was also associated with type 2 diabetes (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.67, 2.84), cardiovascular disease (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.24, 1.71) and high blood pressure (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.13, 1.49; all p < 0.00026 after Bonferroni correction). Associations were replicated for BMI (R2 = 0.06), body weight (R2 = 0.04), health-related quality of life (R2 = 0.02), HbA1c (R2 = 0.07) and triglycerides (R2 = 0.07; all p < 0.0045 after Bonferroni correction). CONCLUSIONS We observed and replicated associations between an epigenetic score for BMI and variables related to poor physical health and metabolic syndrome. Regression models with both epigenetic and phenotypic BMI scores as predictors accounted for a greater proportion of variance in all outcome variables than either predictor alone, demonstrating independent and additive effects of epigenetic and phenotypic BMI scores.
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The effect of a programme to improve men's sedentary time and physical activity: The European Fans in Training (EuroFIT) randomised controlled trial.
Wyke, S, Bunn, C, Andersen, E, Silva, MN, van Nassau, F, McSkimming, P, Kolovos, S, Gill, JMR, Gray, CM, Hunt, K, et al
PLoS medicine. 2019;(2):e1002736
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reducing sitting time as well as increasing physical activity in inactive people is beneficial for their health. This paper investigates the effectiveness of the European Fans in Training (EuroFIT) programme to improve physical activity and sedentary time in male football fans, delivered through the professional football setting. METHODS AND FINDINGS A total of 1,113 men aged 30-65 with self-reported body mass index (BMI) ≥27 kg/m2 took part in a randomised controlled trial in 15 professional football clubs in England, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal. Recruitment was between September 19, 2015, and February 2, 2016. Participants consented to study procedures and provided usable activity monitor baseline data. They were randomised, stratified by club, to either the EuroFIT intervention or a 12-month waiting list comparison group. Follow-up measurement was post-programme and 12 months after baseline. EuroFIT is a 12-week, group-based programme delivered by coaches in football club stadia in 12 weekly 90-minute sessions. Weekly sessions aimed to improve physical activity, sedentary time, and diet and maintain changes long term. A pocket-worn device (SitFIT) allowed self-monitoring of sedentary time and daily steps, and a game-based app (MatchFIT) encouraged between-session social support. Primary outcome (objectively measured sedentary time and physical activity) measurements were obtained for 83% and 85% of intervention and comparison participants. Intention-to-treat analyses showed a baseline-adjusted mean difference in sedentary time at 12 months of -1.6 minutes/day (97.5% confidence interval [CI], -14.3-11.0; p = 0.77) and in step counts of 678 steps/day (97.5% CI, 309-1.048; p < 0.001) in favor of the intervention. There were significant improvements in diet, weight, well-being, self-esteem, vitality, and biomarkers of cardiometabolic health in favor of the intervention group, but not in quality of life. There was a 0.95 probability of EuroFIT being cost-effective compared with the comparison group if society is willing to pay £1.50 per extra step/day, a maximum probability of 0.61 if society is willing to pay £1,800 per minute less sedentary time/day, and 0.13 probability if society is willing to pay £30,000 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). It was not possible to blind participants to group allocation. Men attracted to the programme already had quite high levels of physical activity at baseline (8,372 steps/day), which may have limited room for improvement. Although participants came from across the socioeconomic spectrum, a majority were well educated and in paid work. There was an increase in recent injuries and in upper and lower joint pain scores post-programme. In addition, although the five-level EuroQoL questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) is now the preferred measure for cost-effectiveness analyses across Europe, baseline scores were high (0.93), suggesting a ceiling effect for QALYs. CONCLUSION Participation in EuroFIT led to improvements in physical activity, diet, body weight, and biomarkers of cardiometabolic health, but not in sedentary time at 12 months. Within-trial analysis suggests it is not cost-effective in the short term for QALYs due to a ceiling effect in quality of life. Nevertheless, decision-makers may consider the incremental cost for increase in steps worth the investment. TRIAL REGISTRATION International Standard Randomised Controlled Trials, ISRCTN-81935608.
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Effectiveness of Prison-Based Exercise Training Programs: A Systematic Review.
Sanchez-Lastra, MA, de Dios Álvarez, V, Ayán Pérez, C
Journal of physical activity & health. 2019;(12):1196-1209
Abstract
BACKGROUND The promotion of physical activity among imprisoned people is a public health strategy that could help to improve the health status of this collective. This systematic review is aimed at reviewing the scientific evidence regarding the effects of exercise training programs performed by inmates. METHODS A systematic search for randomized controlled trials aimed at identifying the characteristics and effects of prison-based exercise training programs on imprisoned people was carried through MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, and Scopus. RESULTS A total of 11 randomized controlled studies were selected, and the methodological quality of these was acceptable according to the Downs and Black scale. The proposed interventions were mainly based on the performance of aerobic or combined exercise training programs. Generally, the participants were healthy men who were imprisoned for at least 2 months and up to 15 years. Ten out of the 11 studies reported significant changes on physical and mental health-related variables, after the intervention took place. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that prison-based exercise programs constitute a feasible and useful strategy for improving the physical and mental health status of prisoners.
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Exercise Training Is Safe and Feasible in Patients Awaiting Liver Transplantation: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
Wallen, MP, Keating, SE, Hall, A, Hickman, IJ, Pavey, TG, Woodward, AJ, Skinner, TL, Macdonald, GA, Coombes, JS
Liver transplantation : official publication of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society. 2019;(10):1576-1580
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Physical fitness and shapes of subcortical brain structures in children.
Ortega, FB, Campos, D, Cadenas-Sanchez, C, Altmäe, S, Martínez-Zaldívar, C, Martín-Matillas, M, Catena, A, Campoy, C
The British journal of nutrition. 2019;(s1):S49-S58
Abstract
A few studies have recently reported that higher cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with higher volumes of subcortical brain structures in children. It is, however, unknown how different fitness measures relate to shapes of subcortical brain nuclei. We aimed to examine the association of the main health-related physical fitness components with shapes of subcortical brain structures in a sample of forty-four Spanish children aged 9·7 (sd 0·2) years from the NUtraceuticals for a HEALthier life project. Cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength and speed agility were assessed using valid and reliable tests (ALPHA-fitness test battery). Shape of the subcortical brain structures was assessed by MRI, and its relationship with fitness was examined after controlling for a set of potential confounders using a partial correlation permutation approach. Our results showed that all physical fitness components studied were significantly related to the shapes of subcortical brain nuclei. These associations were both positive and negative, indicating that a higher level of fitness in childhood is related to both expansions and contractions in certain regions of the accumbens, amygdala, caudate, hippocampus, pallidum, putamen and thalamus. Cardiorespiratory fitness was mainly associated with expansions, whereas handgrip was mostly associated with contractions in the structures studied. Future randomised-controlled trials will confirm or contrast our findings, demonstrating whether changes in fitness modify the shapes of brain structures and the extent to which those changes influence cognitive function.
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Myosteatosis is associated with poor physical fitness in patients undergoing hepatopancreatobiliary surgery.
West, MA, van Dijk, DPJ, Gleadowe, F, Reeves, T, Primrose, JN, Abu Hilal, M, Edwards, MR, Jack, S, Rensen, SSS, Grocott, MPW, et al
Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle. 2019;(4):860-871
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Body composition assessment, measured using single-slice computed tomography (CT) image at L3 level, and aerobic physical fitness, objectively measured using cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), are each independently used for perioperative risk assessment. Sarcopenia (i.e. low skeletal muscle mass), myosteatosis [i.e. low skeletal muscle radiation attenuation (SM-RA)], and impaired objectively measured aerobic fitness (reduced oxygen uptake) have been associated with poor post-operative outcomes and survival in various cancer types. However, the association between CT body composition and physical fitness has not been explored. In this study, we assessed the association of CT body composition with selected CPET variables in patients undergoing hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery. METHODS A pragmatic prospective cohort of 123 patients undergoing hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery were recruited. All patients underwent preoperative CPET. Preoperative CT scans were analysed using a single-slice CT image at L3 level to assess skeletal muscle mass, adipose tissue mass, and muscle radiation attenuation. Multivariate linear regression was used to test the association between CPET variables and body composition. Main outcomes were oxygen uptake at anaerobic threshold ( V̇ O2 at AT), oxygen uptake at peak exercise ( V̇ O2 peak), skeletal muscle mass, and SM-RA. RESULTS Of 123 patients recruited [77 men (63%), median age 66.9 ± 11.7, median body mass index 27.3 ± 5.2], 113 patients had good-quality abdominal CT scans available and were included. Of the CT body composition variables, SM-RA had the strongest correlation with V̇ O2 peak (r = 0.57, P < 0.001) and V̇ O2 at AT (r = 0.45, P < 0.001) while skeletal muscle mass was only weakly associated with V̇ O2 peak (r = 0.24, P < 0.010). In the multivariate analysis, only SM-RA was associated with V̇ O2 peak (B = 0.25, 95% CI 0.15-0.34, P < 0.001, R2 = 0.42) and V̇ O2 at AT (B = 0.13, 95% CI 0.06-0.18, P < 0.001, R2 = 0.26). CONCLUSIONS There is a positive association between preoperative CT SM-RA and preoperative physical fitness ( V̇ O2 at AT and at peak). This study demonstrates that myosteatosis, and not sarcopenia, is associated with reduced aerobic physical fitness. Combining both myosteatosis and physical fitness variables may provide additive risk stratification accuracy and guide interventions during the perioperative period.
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Effects of Mobile Health App Interventions on Sedentary Time, Physical Activity, and Fitness in Older Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Yerrakalva, D, Yerrakalva, D, Hajna, S, Griffin, S
Journal of medical Internet research. 2019;(11):e14343
Abstract
BACKGROUND High sedentary time, low physical activity (PA), and low physical fitness place older adults at increased risk of chronic diseases, functional decline, and premature mortality. Mobile health (mHealth) apps, apps that run on mobile platforms, may help promote active living. OBJECTIVE We aimed to quantify the effect of mHealth app interventions on sedentary time, PA, and fitness in older adults. METHODS We systematically searched five electronic databases for trials investigating the effects of mHealth app interventions on sedentary time, PA, and fitness among community-dwelling older adults aged 55 years and older. We calculated pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs) in these outcomes between the intervention and control groups after the intervention period. We performed a Cochrane risk of bias assessment and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation certainty assessment. RESULTS Overall, six trials (486 participants, 66.7% [324/486] women; age mean 68 [SD 6] years) were included (five of these trials were included in the meta-analysis). mHealth app interventions may be associated with decreases in sedentary time (SMD=-0.49; 95% CI -1.02 to 0.03), increases in PA (506 steps/day; 95% CI -80 to 1092), and increases in fitness (SMD=0.31; 95% CI -0.09 to 0.70) in trials of 3 months or shorter and with increases in PA (753 steps/day; 95% CI -147 to 1652) in trials of 6 months or longer. Risk of bias was low for all but one study. The quality of evidence was moderate for PA and sedentary time and low for fitness. CONCLUSIONS mHealth app interventions have the potential to promote changes in sedentary time and PA over the short term, but the results did not achieve statistical significance, possibly because studies were underpowered by small participant numbers. We highlight a need for larger trials with longer follow-up to clarify if apps deliver sustained clinically important effects.
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Is Self-Reported Physical Fitness Useful for Estimating Fitness Levels in Children and Adolescents? A Reliability and Validity Study.
De Moraes, ACF, Vilanova-Campelo, RC, Torres-Leal, FL, Carvalho, HB
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania). 2019;(6)
Abstract
Background and objective: The assessment of physical fitness has become a necessary issue in epidemiological studies, since a reduction in fitness is directly associated with early mortality. Therefore, the development of simple, accurate, and inexpensive methods is necessary to measure physical fitness. This study aimed to determine the reliability and validity of the criteria and constructs of the International Fitness Scale (IFIS), Portuguese version, in Brazilian pediatric populations. Methods: A total of 190 children aged 3-10 years and 110 adolescents aged 11-17 years were enrolled in an observational study of reliability and validity. For reliability, the participants completed a questionnaire twice (with an interval of 15 days). To test the criterion validity, we analyzed the agreement between the questionnaire and physical tests (20-m shuttle run test, handgrip strength, standing long jump tests, 4 × 10-m shuttle run test, and back-saver sit and reach test), and the construct validity was estimated by agreement between the questionnaire and high blood pressure. The reliability was analyzed by kappa coefficients. The agreement between the testing and retesting of the questionnaire was evaluated by kappa coefficients. We applied a 2 × 2 table to estimate the specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy of the questionnaire. Results: The mean age of the children was 6.7 years (n = 190), and for the adolescents it was 14.6 years (n = 110). The questionnaire reliability showed an almost perfect score (κ ≥ 0.93 in children and κ ≥ 0.88 in adolescents). The questionnaire showed moderate criterion validity (κ ≥ 0.40 in children and adolescents) as well as moderate construct validity (κ ≥ 0.40) in the components of general conditioning, cardiorespiratory capacity, muscular strength, and speed/agility in children and in the components of cardiorespiratory capacity, muscle strength, and speed/agility in adolescents. The questionnaire was a sensitive method for measuring physical fitness. Conclusions: The Portuguese version of the IFIS is a reliable and valid method for measuring physical fitness in pediatric populations.