Lifestyle-Based Physical Activity Intervention for One Year Improves Metabolic Syndrome in Overweight Male Employees

Abstract

Regular physical activity is associated with improvements of metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk factors. Furthermore, recent physical activity guidelines for health promotion recommend that moderate to vigorous physical activity should be performed in bouts lasting ≥ 10 min. Brisk walking is a popular and readily attainable form of moderate intensity physical activity and is suitable for the majority of individuals. However, it is unclear whether brisk walking lasting ≥ 10 min is associated with improvement in MetS. This study aimed to determine the effects of a 1-year lifestyle-based physical activity intervention with brisk walking of ≥ 10 min using a pedometer on the improvement in MetS. Three hundred and seventy-six overweight male employees with ≥ 1 MetS component(s) participated in this intervention study from 2008 to 2009 (age, 30-62 years; body mass index, 23.0-45.5 kg/m 2 ). Overall, 316 participants (84%) completed the 1-year intervention. MetS was defined according to the Japanese criteria at baseline and after 1 year. Brisk walking lasting ≥ 10 min was significantly associated with the decrease in waist circumference (β = −1.479) and triglyceride (β = −31.260), and the increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (β = 2.117). The brisk walking step counts were also significantly associated with higher odds for an improvement in MetS (OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.05-2.09) and abdominal obesity (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.12-1.87). In conclusion, the lifestyle-based intervention with brisk walking of ≥ 10 min is an effective strategy to improve MetS in overweight male employees.

Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and Its Relationship with Physical Activity in Suburban Beijing, China

“…The results of the present study show that waist circumference, SBP, FPG, and TG significantly decreased across categories with increasing physical activity; however, HDL-C had the opposite trend. Additionally, the age-standardized prevalence of MetS and its components including abdominal obesity, elevated TG, reduced HDL-C, elevated BP, and elevated FPG decreased across categories with increasing physical activity, which was similar to the results of previous research [7,8,9,10]. The findings of the present study also show that residents were more likely to have MetS and its components across categories with decreasing physical activity.…”

“…In addition, the cross-sectional study design does not allow for quantification of the importance of physical activity in the development of MetS, which limits our ability to comment on causal relationships between physical activity categories and MetS. However, previous studies in other countries have demonstrated the importance of physical activity in the development of MetS [9,10]. Despite these limitations, the strengths of the present study include the fact that its results are based on findings in a large, representative sample of suburban dwellers in Beijing.…”

“…The prevalence of MetS and its components has been steadily increasing over the past two decades, and it is now estimated to affect at least a quarter of the Chinese population [4,5,6]. Previous studies have suggested an inverse relationship between physical activity and MetS [7,8,9,10]. Accordingly, leading health organizations now promote the use of physical activity as a therapeutic strategy for the management of MetS [11,12]; however, the intensity at which physical activity may be of benefit in reducing the risk for MetS remains unclear.…”

Effectiveness of a physical activity program on cardiovascular disease risk in adult primary health-care users: the “Pas-a-Pas” community intervention trial

“…Several randomized controlled trials (RCT) have provided evidence of the benefits of physical activity on certain CVD risk factors, including reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP) [13–15], improvements in lipid profile [16, 17], and anthropometric measurements [13, 18]. However, other studies found no such benefits [19–22].…”

Physical activity, sedentary behavior and total wellness changes among sedentary adults: a 4-week randomized controlled trial

“…Sedentary time, independent of the time spent in moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity, is associated with health risks including type 2 diabetes [3], cardiovascular disease [3,4], metabolic syndrome [5], weight gain [6,7] and obesity [8,9]. Consequently, increased attention is being paid to the development of intervention methods that focus on reducing sedentary time and increasing physical activity levels for the purpose of improving overall health [10,11]. Little is currently known about the effect of such interventions on total wellness, a concept which encompasses much more than physical health.…”