Moderate physical activity may not decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease in persistently overweight and obesity...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Obesity Research

Background:

• Body mass index (BMI) and physical activity (PA) are linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD).
• Limited evidence exists on combined BMI and PA trajectories and their impact on CVD and mortality risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the associations between joint body mass index (BMI) and physical activity (PA) trajectories and the risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality.
• To identify specific BMI and PA patterns over time that influence health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Kailuan Study (2006-2019) with repeated measurements of BMI and PA.
• Employed group-based trajectory modeling to define joint BMI-PA phenotypes.
• Applied Cox proportional hazards models to assess associations with CVD (myocardial infarction, stroke) and all-cause mortality.

Main Results:

• Persistent overweight/obesity with moderate PA was linked to increased CVD risk (aHRs 1.31-1.55).
• Certain trajectories, like improving weight status or maintaining moderate PA, were associated with decreased all-cause mortality risk (aHRs 0.72-0.92).
• Findings remained consistent across age and sex stratifications and sensitivity analyses.

Conclusions:

• Moderate physical activity (PA) may not mitigate cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in individuals with persistent overweight or obesity.
• Long-term BMI and PA trajectories have differential impacts on CVD and all-cause mortality.