Effect of Physical Activity on Cardiometabolic Markers in Adolescents: Systematic Review

Abstract

The accumulation of body fat is a major risk factor for cardiometabolic diseases. Obesity can be considered a chronic systemic inflammatory disease in adults and younger people. The control of subclinical inflammation process through the practice of physical activity (PA) can mitigate the effects of risk factors that trigger atherosclerosis that worsens with advancing age. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the influence of physical activity and/or exercise on cardiometabolic markers and othrer risk factors of cardiovascular disease in adolescents. A systematic review was conducted in electronic databases Scopus, Pubmed, Conchrane Collection and SciELO. The terms used in the search were "cardiovascular diseases AND inflammation AND adolescents AND physical activity OR exercise". A total of 24 original articles were evaluated, being 14 longitudinal and 10 cross-sectional studies. Overall, 16 articles (66.66%) showed that PA, exercise and/or sedentary behavior may have influenced or have been related to the concentration of cardiometabolic markers. All studies that examined lifestyle changes showed reduction of cardiometabolic markers. Some limitations were observed: reduced samples, lack of dietary prescription, evaluation and control of volume and intensity of exercise. Most of the studies analyzed showed that the physical activity could influence and decrease the concentrations of cardiometabolic markers in adolescents. However, studies with representative sample size and precise control in assessing the level of physical activity and/or exercise are required to determine accurately the changes that the more active lifestyle can bring on inflammatory process, as well as other risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases in adolescents.

Número de passos por dia e risco cardiometabólico em jovens: revisão sistemática

“…The association with metabolic syndrome was inconclusive in the studies that used self-report to measure physical activity, while a more consistent association was observed when accelerometry was used to estimate physical activity 5 . With respect to systematic reviews and meta-analysis of intervention studies, the collected body of evidence indicates that an increase in physical activity is consistently associated with improvement in the cardiometabolic profile and with a reduction in the risk of developing metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance in young people [6][7][8] . Regarding Table 2.…”

“…Evidence suggests that the lack of physical activity, which is considered the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality according to the World Health Organization 4 , is associated with an unfavorable cardiometabolic profile in young people [5][6][7][8] . However, it should be remembered that physical activity is a complex behavior that comprises the type, duration, frequency and intensity of activities performed over a given period of time 9 .…”

“…However, the association between step count and cardiometabolic risk factors in young people still requires further investigation. Most studies, including systematic reviews, that investigated this association used self-report or accelerometers for the measurement of physical activity 5,6,8 .…”

Índice de adiposidade visceral como preditor de risco cardiometabólico em crianças e adolescentes

“…O acúmulo de gordura corporal é um dos principais fatores de risco de doenças cardiometabólicas 28 , o que condiz com o aumento do risco observado nos participantes com excesso de peso (2,3x) e CC alterada (1,5x).…”

Efeito do treinamento físico sobre a inflamação crônica em jovens obesos: uma revisão sistemática

“…O treinamento físico é um importante componente no tratamento da obesidade infanto-juvenil, visto que dieta restritiva, cirurgia bariátrica e medicação são pouco recomendadas para essa população 17,18,19,20 . O treinamento físico pode contribuir para aumento da aptidão física 18 e redução da gordura corporal 19 , entretanto, a perda de peso, a redução da gordura visceral e a melhora metabólica ainda não estão bem comprovadas 21,22,23,24 .…”