Accelerometer‐based sedentary time, light physical activity, and moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity from childhood with arterial stiffness and carotid IMT progression: A 13‐year longitudinal study of 1339 children

Abstract

AimsWe examined the longitudinal associations of sedentary time (ST), light physical activity (LPA), and moderate‐to‐vigorous PA (MVPA) from childhood with carotid‐femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), a measure of arterial stiffness and carotid intima‐media thickness (cIMT).MethodsWe studied 1339 children, aged 11 years from Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, UK, followed up for 13 years. Accelerometer‐based ST, LPA, and MVPA were assessed at ages 11, 15, and 24 years clinic visits. cfPWV and cIMT were measured with Vicorder and ultrasound, respectively, at ages 17 and 24 years.ResultsAmong 1339 [56.4% female] participants, mean ST increased from ages 11 through 24 years, while mean LPA and MVPA decreased. Persistently high ST tertile from childhood was associated with increased cfPWV progression, effect estimate 0.047 m/s; [(95% CI 0.005 to 0.090); p = 0.030], but not cIMT progression. Persistently high LPA tertile category was associated with decreased cfPWV progression in males −0.022 m/s; [(−0.028 to −0.017); p < 0.001] and females −0.027 m/s; [(−0.044 to −0.010); p < 0.001]. Cumulative LPA exposure decreased the odds of progressively worsening cfPWV [Odds ratio 0.994 (0.994–0.995); p < 0.0001] and cIMT. Persistent exposure to ≥60 min/day of MVPA was paradoxically associated with increased cfPWV progression in males 0.053 m/s; [(0.030 to 0.077); p < 0.001] and females 0.012 m/s; [(0.002 to 0.022); p = 0.016]. Persistent exposure to ≥60 min/day of MVPA was inversely associated with cIMT progression in females −0.017 mm; [(−0.026 to −0.009); p < 0.001].ConclusionLPA >3 h/day from childhood may attenuate progressively worsening vascular damage associated with increased ST in youth.

Accelerometer-based sedentary time and physical activity with MASLD and liver cirrhosis in 2684 British adolescents

“…In the present study, it was observed that MVPA from childhood was paradoxically associated with higher fibrosis score, which was mediated (67% mediation) by increased lean mass. This seems a physiologic adaptation of the liver smooth muscle cells to MVPA as previously noted with progressive increased left ventricular mass and vascular wall thickness, but MVPA was not associated with an increased risk of liver cirrhosis 16,32,33 .…”

“…In the latest health guideline, there was no recommendation on LPA due to the scarcity of evidence on device-measured LPA in youth, and it has been established that most youths do not meet the recommended average of 60 minutes of MVPA per day but may accumulate a substantial amount of LPA minutes per day 10 . Several emerging longitudinal studies are reporting that LPA might yield more significant health benefits than MVPA, such as reducing systolic blood pressure, dyslipidaemia, fat mass obesity, insulin resistance, inflammation and vascular stiffness [12][13][14][15][16]30 . Longitudinal studies of accelerometer-based LPA and liver indices in the young population are scarce 3,[8][9][10][11]19,21 .…”

“…Movement behaviour measures ST, LPA and MVPA were assessed with MTI Actigraph AM7164 2.2 (LLC, Fort Walton Beach, FL, USA) accelerometer worn for 7 days at 11-and 15year clinic visits, whereas at 24 years movement behaviour was assessed using ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer device worn for four consecutive days [12][13][14][15][16][17] . An accelerometer was worn around the waist and detects acceleration and deceleration in a vertical plane as a combined function of movement frequency and intensity.…”

“…One in five young adults had steatosis and 2.5% had liver fibrosis around the age of 24 years, thus, the primordial and primary prevention of liver diseases is of public health and clinical significance 3,[7][8][9] . Recent long-term longitudinal studies have shown that increasing physical activity (PA) and reducing sedentary time (ST) may lower the risk of fat mass obesity, dyslipidaemia, insulin resistance, inflammation and vascular stiffness among children, adolescents, and young adults [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] . In clinical trials, PA has been associated with a reduced risk of MASLD among adults 3,18 .…”

“…Nonetheless, the potential explanatory roles of these metabolic factors in the relationships of movement behaviour with MASLD, liver fibrosis and liver enzymes remain unclear [1][2][3]8,9,[22][23][24] . Since children and adolescents accumulate more time engaging in LPA than MVPA, a potential long-term lifestyle intervention strategy for lowering the risk for MASLD is an urgent research priority 3,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] . The present study examined (1) the longitudinal associations of objectively measured ST, LPA and MVPA, from ages 11 to 24 years with the risk of MASLD and liver fibrosis in adolescents (age 17 years) and in young adults (age 24 years) measured with transient elastography which has high detection accuracy in reference to liver biopsy 25 , (2) the mediating effect of triglycerides, inflammation, fat mass and lean mass, on the relationships of movement behaviour with MASLD, liver fibrosis, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and γ-glutamyl transferase from ages 17 to 24 years (adolescence through young adulthood), using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) birth cohort, England, UK.…”