The effects of physical activity during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood on cardiovascular risk factors among adults

Abstract

SUMMARY OBJECTIVES: To analyze the association between physical activity during life and cardiovascular risk factors among adults. DESIGN: The sample was composed of 101 adults (59 men) between 30 and 50 years old, who were recruited from different gyms and from a University in Brasil. Participants were divided according to their engagement in sports in early life (self-reported) and current physical activity (pedometer) (sports participation during childhood/adolescence and currently active [n=26], sports participation during childhood/adolescence and currently inactive [n=26], and control [n=49]). Cardiovascular risk factors were measured, such as body fat (through DXA), HDL-C, triglycerides, HOMA index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and C-reactive protein. We adopted the covariates of chronological age, sex, alcohol consumption, tobacco, and body mass index. General estimating equations were used, with p<0.05. RESULTS: After the adjustments of the final model, individuals engaged in sports during childhood and adolescence and inactive during adulthood presented lower body fat, when compared to participants persistently inactive (p<0.001). Participants persistently active presented lower body fat (p<0.001) and lower c-reactive protein (p=0.010) when compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: Early sports participation was associated with reduced body fat, and being physically active throughout life was associated with reduced body fat and C-reactive protein.

Association of Early Sports Practice with Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Community-Dwelling Adults: A Retrospective Epidemiological Study

“…Participants with sports practice in childhood and adolescence were 60% and 59% less likely to present hypertension in adulthood, respectively. One of the possible reasons for these results is that physical activity in childhood and adolescence could reduce inflammatory parameters such as C-reactive protein [ 10 ], which would be linked to lower sympathetic activity and successively lower chances of having hypertension. Another hypothesis relates to the effects that previous sports practice could have on the vascular system throughout life, as well as improving cardiac autonomic modulation [ 46 ].…”

“…Fernandes et al [ 9 ] in a study with more than 3000 adults observed that participants who played sports in childhood and adolescence were approximately 60% less likely to have dyslipidemia. Werneck et al [ 10 ] observed that individuals who practiced sports in childhood and adolescence presented lower body adiposity, even if they were insufficiently active in adulthood.…”

New kids on the CPET: age-appropriate outdoor cardiopulmonary exercise testing in preschoolers

“…Lack of physical activity and the often-related problem of obesity are well-known risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (Boyer et al 2015 ; Werneck et al 2019 ). Among the health-related physical fitness components in children and adolescents, we know cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) to be the most important marker (Ortega et al 2007 ; Ruiz et al 2009 ).…”