Whether weekend warriors (WWs) achieve equivalent benefits in lipid accumulation products (LAP) reduction as other leisure-time physical activity patterns? -Results from a population-based analysis of NHANES 2007-2018

Abstract

Background: Obesity is characterized by excessive fat accumulation in the body. Physical activity (PA) is an effective intervention to combat obesity, but the effectiveness of different PA patterns on controlling obesity is unclear. Lipid accumulation product (LAP), derived from waist circumference and triglycerides, is a novel indicator for obesity evaluation. However, the association between PA patterns (i.e., weekend warriors and regularly active) and LAP remains unexplored. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between PA patterns and LAP in US adult population.

Methods: Adult individuals with complete data on LAP, PA patterns, and other covariates from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database (2007-2018) were included in this study. Multivariate linear regression models were utilized to explore the association between PA patterns and LAP. Subgroup analyses, interaction tests, restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression analyses, and threshold and saturation effect analyses were also performed to investigate the stability and nonlinearity of PA-LAP association, respectively.

Results: A total of 11,212 participants were included in this study. After adjusting for all potential covariates, being regularly active (RA) (β=-8.85, P < 0.05) obtained significantly higher LAP reduction as opposed to being weekend warriors (WWs) (β=-4.70, P = 0.3841). Furthermore, subgroup analyses and interaction tests indicated that the PA-LAP association was more pronounced in individuals with higher education levels (P interaction = 0.0084) and diabetes (P interaction = 0.0062). Additionally, a significant, non-linear, and negative correlation between weekly total PA and LAP in non-inactive individuals was identified by RCS analysis (P for overall < 0.001, P for nonlinearity = 0.009). A threshold of 440 min in weekly total PA was found to arouse favorable LAP reduction.

Conclusions: Being regularly active obtained better LAP reduction as opposed to being WWs. For non-inactive adults, engaging in more than 440 min of PA per week helps to reduce LAP effectively.

Keywords: Lipid accumulation products; Obesity; Physical activity; Regularly active; Weekend warriors.

Fig. 1

The flowchart of participant selection

Fig. 2

The definition of different physical activity patterns. Abbreviations: MVPA, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; MPA, moderate physical activity; VPA, vigorous physical activity

Fig. 3

Violin plot of LAP in different PA pattern groups. Abbreviations: PA, physical activity; LAP, lipid accumulation product

Fig. 4

The forest plot of PA patterns and LAP in adults. Abbreviations: PA, physical activity; LAP, lipid accumulation product

Fig. 5

RCS analysis to explore the association between weekly total PA and LAP in all participants. Variables of age, gender, race, education, PIR, marital status, smoking, CVD, diabetes, drinking, and BMI were adjusted during RCS analyses. Abbreviations: RCS, restricted cubic spline; LAP, lipid accumulation product; CVD, cardiovascular disease; BMI, body mass index; PIR, ratio of family income to poverty

Fig. 6

Identification of the association between weekly total PA and LAP by RCS analyses. (A) Insufficiently active group; (B) Weekend warriors group; (C) Regularly active group. Variables of age, gender, race, education, PIR, marital status, smoking, CVD, diabetes, drinking, and BMI were adjusted during RCS analyses. Abbreviations: RCS, restricted cubic spline; LAP, lipid accumulation product; CVD, cardiovascular disease; BMI, body mass index; PIR, ratio of family income to poverty

Fig. 7

RCS analysis illustrated the association between weekly sedentary time and LAP. Variables of age, gender, race, education, PIR, marital status, smoking, CVD, diabetes, drinking, and BMI were adjusted during RCS analyses. Abbreviations: RCS, restricted cubic spline; LAP, lipid accumulation product; CVD, cardiovascular disease; BMI, body mass index; PIR, ratio of family income to poverty