Physical Activity and the Metabolic Syndrome in a Tri‐ethnic Sample of Women

• DOI: 10.1038/oby.2002.140
• Publication Date: 2008-04-16T13:07:32Z
• Authors: Melinda L. Irwin; Barbara E. Ainsworth; Elizabeth J. Maye...; Cheryl L. Addy; Russell R. Pate; J. Larry Durstine
• Keywords: Adult; Blood Glucose; Race; New Mexico; Black People; Blood Pressure; Body Mass Index; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; cardiovascular disease; Medicine and Health Sciences; Ethnicity; Humans; Insulin; Obesity; race; Exercise; 110699 Human Movement and Sports Science not elsewhere classified; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Metabolic Syndrome; 2. Zero hunger; Cholesterol, HDL; insulin-resistance syndrom; Middle Aged; fitness; Logistic Models; Exercise Test; Indians, North American; Syndrome X; insulin-resistance syndrome; Female; Public Health

AbstractObjective: To determine the association of moderate‐intensity physical activity (PA), vigorous‐intensity PA, and maximal treadmill duration with the metabolic syndrome among African‐American (n = 49), Native‐American (n = 46), and white (n = 51) women (ages, 40 to 83 years), enrolled in the Cross‐Cultural Activity Participation Study.Research Methods and Procedures: The metabolic syndrome was defined as three or more of the following risk factors: waist circumference >88 cm, blood pressure ≥130/85 mm Hg, fasting glucose ≥110 mg/dL, hypertriglyceridemia (≥150 mg/dL), and high‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol <50 mg/dL. PA was determined from detailed PA records that included all PA performed during two consecutive 4‐day periods. Maximal treadmill duration was determined from a graded exercise test. Women were categorized into quartiles of moderate‐intensity PA, vigorous‐intensity PA, and maximal treadmill duration. Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios of the metabolic syndrome as a function of the four PA categories, adjusted for age, ethnicity, study site, menopausal status, and use of hormone‐replacement therapy.Results: The adjusted odds ratio for the metabolic syndrome was 0.18 (95% confidence interval, 0.33 to 0.90) for women in the highest category of moderate‐intensity PA compared with women in the lowest category (p = 0.01 for trend). Similar associations were observed for the metabolic syndrome with vigorous‐intensity PA (p = 0.01 for trend) and maximal treadmill duration (p = 0.0004 for trend).Discussion: Higher levels of moderate and vigorous‐intensity PA and greater maximal treadmill duration were inversely associated with the metabolic syndrome among an ethnically diverse sample of women.