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HF risk decreases with increasing physical activity
Risk for HF appears to be inversely related to physical activity levels in a dose-dependent manner, with activity in excess of the current minimum recommendations yielding the greatest reductions in HF risk, according to recent findings.
In a meta-analysis, investigators evaluated data from 12 prospective cohort studies published between 1995 and Sept. 24, 2014 reporting the association between baseline physical activity level and incident HF in adults. Random effects models were used to evaluate categorical dose-response relationships between physical activity and HF risk, and for studies that reported quantitative physical activity estimates, generalized least squares regression models were used to evaluate the quantitative association between physical activity (expressed as MET-min/week) and HF risk.
Among the included studies, 20,203 HF events occurred in 370,460 participants (53.5% women) over a median 13 years of follow-up. Participants with the highest levels of physical activity had significantly lower HF risk compared with those with the lowest activity levels (pooled HR = 0.7; 95% CI, 0.67-0.73 across 12 studies). Results from subgroup analyses indicated that the association between activity level and HF was present among men and women and both younger and older patients.
Moderate reductions in HF risk were observed among participants with physical activity levels at the minimum recommended by U.S. federal guidelines (500 MET-min/week) compared with those who reported no physical activity during leisure time (RR = 0.9; 95% CI, 0.87-0.92). Participants whose physical activity levels were twice the minimum levels achieved a greater risk reduction (HR = 0.81; 95% CI, 0.77-0.86), as did those who engaged in four times the minimum recommended physical activity (HR = 0.65; 95% CI, 0.58-0.73).
“Walking 30 minutes a day as recommended in the U.S. physical activity guidelines may not be good enough – significantly more physical activity may be necessary to reduce the risk of HF,” researcher Jarett D. Berry, MD, associate professor of internal medicine and clinical sciences at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, said in a press release. – by Jennifer Byrne
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.