China is experiencing significant public health challenges related to social and demographic transitions and lifestyle transformations following unprecedented economic reforms four decades ago. Of particular public health concern is the fourfold increase in overweight and obesity rates in the nation’s youth population, coupled with the low prevalence of adolescents meeting recommended levels of physical activity. Improving the overall health of China’s more than 170 million children and adolescents has become a national priority. However, advancing nationwide health initiatives and physical activity promotion in this population has been hampered by the lack of a population-specific and culturally relevant consensus on recommendations for achieving these ends. To address this deficiency and inform policies to achieve Healthy China 2030 goals, a panel of Chinese experts, complemented by international professionals, developed this consensus statement. The consensus was achieved through an iterative process that began with a literature search from electronic databases; in-depth reviews, conducted by a steering committee, of the resulting articles; and panel group evaluations and discussions in the form of email correspondence, conference calls and written communications. Ultimately, the panel agreed on 10 major themes with strong scientific evidence that, in children and adolescents aged 6–17, participating in moderate to vigorous physical activities led to multiple positive health outcomes. Our consensus statement also (1) highlights major challenges in promoting physical activity, (2) identifies future research that addresses current knowledge gaps, and (3) provides recommendations for teachers, education experts, parents and policymakers for promoting physical activity among Chinese school-aged children and adolescents. This consensus statement aligns with international efforts to develop global physical activity guidelines to promote physical activity and health and prevent lifestyle-related diseases in children and adolescents. More importantly, it provides a foundation for developing culturally appropriate and effective physical activity interventions, health promotion strategies and policy initiatives to improve the health of Chinese children and adolescents.

The aim of this work was to examine the association between the polymorphisms in nuclear respiratory factor (NRF2) gene and endurance capacity measured prior to and after an 18-wk endurance training program in young Chinese men. The phenotypes measured were running economy (RE) and VO(2max). The RE was determined by measuring submaximal VO(2) for 5 min at a constant running speed of 12 km x h (-1) and VO(2max) was measured during an incremental test to volitional exhaustion. Genomic DNA was extracted from white cells of peripheral blood and the genotypes were examined in SNPrs12594956, rs8031031 and rs7181866 by PCR-RFLP. Genotype distributions were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium at three loci, and linkage disequilibrium was observed (LD D' = 1 and r (2) = 0.903) between rs8031031 and rs7181866. The VO(2max) was associated with rs12594956 at baseline while the training response of VO(2) at RE, was associated with rs12594956, rs8031031 and rs7181866. When the three SNPs were considered together, those carrying the ATG haplotype had 57.5 % higher training response in VO(2) at RE (p = 0.006) than non-carriers. In conclusion, polymorphisms in NRF2 gene may explain some of the between-person variance in endurance capacity.

Our purpose was to determine the possible association between genotypes of three polymorphisms (Gly482Ser, Thr394Thr and A2962G) of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PPARGC1A) gene, on one hand, and both the pre- (baseline) and post-training levels of maximal (i.e., maximal oxygen uptake [VO2max]) and submaximal human endurance capacity (i.e., running economy [RE]). We studied 102 young males (physically active, non-athletes; age: 19+/-1 yrs) from Northern China (of Han origin) who underwent a 18-week endurance training (running) program and were tested on a treadmill (for VO2max and RE determination) before and after training. None of the VO2max and RE related traits were associated with the Gly482Ser and Thr394Thr polymorphisms at baseline or after training. The A2962G polymorphism was however associated with VO2max at baseline, as carriers of the G allele (AG+GG genotypes; n=49) had higher levels of VO2max than the AA group (n=53) (58.2+/-4.3 vs 56.3+/-3.9 mL/kg/min; P=0.017). Our results do not support previous data on Caucasians showing an association between the Gly482Ser variant and VO2max but suggest the potential role of another polymorphism (A2962G) to explain individual VO2max differences in Chinese men.

There is an association between NRF-1 genotypes (rs2402970 and rs6949152 polymorphisms) and the baseline and/or training response of human aerobic capacity. More research is needed to corroborate our data in other ethnic groups with lower fitness levels at the pre-training state (particularly Caucasians) and to identify the molecular mechanisms involved in the genotype-phenotype associations we found.

The human gene for heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX-1) plays an important role in the regulation of cardiovascular function and its adaptive response to a variety of stressors. The purpose of this study was to examine the possible association between HMOX-1 genotypes (for -1135A/G, -413A/T, and rs5755720 polymorphisms) and cardiac structural and functional parameters at rest and during submaximal cycle-ergometer exercise (50, 100, and 150 W) in a pre-training state (baseline) and after endurance training (18 weeks, 95%~105% individual ventilatory threshold). The study population consisted of 102 Chinese young males (non-athletes) of Han origin. For the -1135A/G polymorphism, we found a significant genotype effect (p < 0.05) in cardiac output (Q) corrected for body surface area (BSA; Q.BSA(-1)) at 50 W and stroke volume (SV) corrected for BSA (SV.BSA(-1)) at 100 W. For the -413A/T polymorphism, we found a significant genotype effect (p < 0.05) in ejection fraction (EF) at 100 W. For the rs5755720 polymorphism, we found a significant genotype effect (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05) in most variables (Q.BSA-1 across all workloads, SV.BSA(-1) at 100 W, and EF at 50 and 100 W). Briefly, rs5755720 individuals with a CC genotype presented overall higher values in the different cardiac variables than their CT and (or) TT counterparts. In summary, although more research is needed with diseased populations and other ethnic groups, we found preliminary evidence of an association between cardiac response to submaximal exercise and HMOX-1 genotype. The present preliminary findings could provide insights to future studies searching for cardioprotective genotypes.