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. 2018 Mar 1:254:322-327.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2017.11.003. Epub 2018 Jan 28.

Objectively measured physical activity and cardiac biomarkers: A cross sectional population based study in older men

Tessa J Parsons  1 , Claudio Sartini  2 , Paul Welsh  3 , Naveed Sattar  3 , Sarah Ash  2 , Lucy T Lennon  2 , S Goya Wannamethee  2 , I-Min Lee  4 , Peter H Whincup  5 , Barbara J Jefferis  2
Affiliations

Objectively measured physical activity and cardiac biomarkers: A cross sectional population based study in older men

Tessa J Parsons et al. Int J Cardiol. .

Abstract

Background: N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high sensitivity Troponin T (hsTnT) are markers of cardiac injury used in diagnosis of heart failure and myocardial infarction respectively, and associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Since physical activity is protective against cardiovascular disease and heart failure, we investigated whether higher levels of physical activity, and less sedentary behaviour were associated with lower NT-proBNP and hsTnT.

Methods and results: Cross sectional study of 1130 men, age 70-91years, from the British Regional Heart Study, measured in 2010-2012. Fasting blood samples were analysed for NT-proBNP and hsTnT. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour were measured using ActiGraph GT3X accelerometers. Relationships between activity and NT-proBNP or hsTnT were non-linear; biomarker levels were lower with higher total activity, steps, moderate/vigorous activity and light activity only at low to moderate levels of activity. For example, for each additional 10min of moderate/vigorous activity, NT-proBNP was lower by 35.7% (95% CI -47.9, -23.6) and hsTnT by 8.4% (95% CI -11.1, -5.6), in men who undertook <25 or 50min of moderate/vigorous activity per day respectively. Biomarker levels increased linearly with increasing sedentary behaviour, but not independently of moderate/vigorous activity.

Conclusion: Associations between biomarkers and moderate/vigorous activity (and between hsTnT and light activity) were independent of sedentary behaviour, suggesting activity is driving the relationships. In these older men with concomitantly low levels of physical activity, activity may be more important in protecting against cardiac health deterioration in less active individuals, although reverse causality might be operating.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Men; N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide; Physical activity; Sedentary behaviour; Troponin T.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Associations between cardiac biomarkers and physical activity/sedentary behaviour. Relationships between NT-proBNP and steps per day (panel A) and hours per day of sedentary behaviour (panel B) and between hsTnT and steps per day (panel A) and daily hours of sedentary behaviour (panel B). Solid line represents smoothed function from the GAM, with 95% CI (dotted lines), and p values are reported. Each model is adjusted for average daily accelerometer wear time, season of wear, hour of blood sampling, region of residence, age, social class, living alone, tobacco, alcohol consumption.
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