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Published on: April 21, 2017
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Accelerometer-derived 'weekend warrior' physical activity pattern and brain health
Jiahao Min1, Zhi Cao2, Tingshan Duan1
1School of Public Health, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China.
Nature Aging
|August 21, 2024
Summary
The weekend warrior physical activity pattern, engaging in moderate-to-vigorous activity over 1-2 days, offers similar brain health benefits to regular activity. This pattern may be a viable alternative for disease prevention.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Public Health
- Exercise Science
Background:
- Regular physical activity (PA) benefits brain health.
- The impact of the 'weekend warrior' PA pattern on neurological and mental health is not well-established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between the weekend warrior PA pattern and the risk of neurological and mental health disorders.
- To compare the brain health outcomes of weekend warrior activity versus regularly active and inactive patterns.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study of 75,629 UK Biobank participants with accelerometry data.
- Classification of participants into inactive, weekend warrior, or regularly active PA patterns based on weekly moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) guidelines.
- Analysis of associations between PA patterns and risks of dementia, stroke, Parkinson's disease, depressive disorders, and anxiety.
Main Results:
- The weekend warrior pattern was associated with similarly lower risks of dementia, stroke, Parkinson's disease, depressive disorders, and anxiety compared to the regularly active pattern.
- Both weekend warrior and regularly active patterns showed reduced risks compared to the inactive pattern.
Conclusions:
- The weekend warrior PA pattern is a potentially effective strategy for reducing the risk of several brain health conditions.
- This pattern offers a feasible alternative for individuals unable to adhere to daily physical activity recommendations.
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