Abstract P441: Association of Monthly Resistance Training Volume With All-Cause Mortality in NHANES 1999-2006

Abstract

Introduction: The WHO Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 2 days of resistance training (RT) per week. RCTs have shown a dose-response between RT volume and improving blood pressure, lipids, and markers of glycemia. There is discordance between the Guidelines recommending a frequency while empirical evidence supports a volume. Our objective was to test whether RT Guidelines and volume were associated with lower mortality. Methods: Data are from the 1999–2006 NHANES cycles. Participants self-reported past 30 days of physical activity including type, which was used to assign METs, number of sessions, and average session duration in minutes. Those who reported engaging in RT (push-ups, sit-ups, and weightlifting) with no missing data were included ( N =1,391). RT volume was measured in monthly MET-minutes, calculated as the product of the number of sessions, mean session duration, and intensity. Mortality was ascertained from the linked National Death Index through the end of 2019. Covariates included monthly aerobic physical activity volume, sex, age, and education. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios for all-cause mortality by RT Guideline adherence and RT volume. Results: Participants had a mean age of 41.3±16.3 years and were mostly male (62.7%). Most participants met the Guidelines ( n =1,041, 74.8%). The mean monthly RT volume was 2,210±2,550 MET-minutes. Mortality incidence was 11.4% with a mean follow-up time of 189±41.6 months (159 events, 263,585 total person-months). Neither meeting the Guidelines nor monthly RT volume was associated with all-cause mortality (Table 1.). There was no evidence of effect modification by sex or age. Conclusions: According to these findings, current Guidelines promoting RT for health benefits are not supported by empirical data. However, the absence of an association between monthly RT volume and all-cause mortality warrants further investigation using better instrumentation for assessing RT volume.