Biomedical subjects

P Oja

Publications and source records attributed to P Oja.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Walking trials in postmenopausal women: effect of low doses of exercise and exercise fractionization on coronary risk factors.

We studied the fractionization of walking training and searched for the minimum dose to affect coronary risk factors in two randomized controlled trials. Altogether 134 (Study I) and 121 (Study II) healthy, sedentary postmenopausal women started the trials, and 130 (Study I) and 116 (Study II) completed them. In Study I the exercise intensity was 65% of the maximal aerobic power (VO2max) and a total of 300 kcal was expended in one (Group W1) or two (Group W2) daily walking bouts. In Study II the exercise was continuous, and the exercise intensity (% of VO2max) and energy expenditure (kcal session(-1)) were 55% and 300 kcal (Group W3), 45% and 300 kcal (Group W4), 55% and 200 kcal (Group W5) and 45% and 200 kcal (Group W6). All the subjects walked 5 days a week. The outcome measures were blood pressure, serum lipoproteins and blood glucose and plasma insulin in fasting state and also during 2-h oral glucose tolerance test in Study I. There was no change in diastolic pressure in the original study groups, but in the combined exercise group (W1+W2) in Study I, the mean diastolic pressure declined by -3.0 mmHg (95% con-fidence interval (CI) -5.5 to -0.4) (P=0.025) in comparison with that of the controls. The mean blood glucose declined by -0.21 mmol L(-1) (CI -0.33 to -0.09) in Group W1 and -0.13 mmol L(-1) (CI -0.25 to -0.01) in Group W2 compared to controls (P=0.03). Also the 2-h glucose concentration decreased in Groups W1 and W2 compared to controls. Systolic blood pressure, serum lipoproteins and insulin levels did not change in Study I or Study II. We conclude that our training program with the greatest exercise dose, exercise intensity 65% of VO2max and weekly expenditure of 1500 kcal had a minimal, positive effect on diastolic pressure and blood glucose, and the effect was similar in one or two daily exercise session groups. This exercise dose is probably close to the minimum to affect coronary risk factors in healthy postmenopausal women. To get a more pronounced and clinically relevant effect, a greater exercise dose is needed.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2002

Site-specific skeletal response to long-term weight training seems to be attributable to principal loading modality: a pQCT study of female weightlifters.

Physical training may be able to improve bone strength through site-specific changes in the composition, size and structure of the bone without notable increases in volumetric density. To address this possibility specifically, we compared 14 competitive female weightlifters with 14 female physical therapy students. Peripheral quantitative computed tomographic scans (pQCT) were taken from the distal radius, radial shaft, distal femur, and tibial midshaft of the dominant limb. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to estimate the intergroup differences, using body weight and age as covariates. Cortical density did not differ between the weightlifters and controls at any site, whereas trabecular density was greater in the weightlifters, the benefit being 10% (P = 0.186) at the distal radius and 11% (P = 0.040) at the distal femur compared with the controls. Weightlifters' cortical cross-sectional area was 38% (P = 0.029) larger at the distal radius, 26% larger (P = 0.001) at the radial shaft, and 9% larger at the tibial midshaft (P = 0.034). Consequently, the weightlifters' forearm bone strength indices were also significantly higher, the intergroup difference being 41% (P = 0.001) at the distal radius and 43% (P = 0.004) at the radial shaft. Thus, the observed intergroup difference at the distal radius was mainly due to enlarged bone, particularly its cortex, rather than higher volumetric bone density. Findings at the radial shaft were similar. In contrast, weightlifters' trabecular tissue at the distal femur was denser but the bone per se was not clearly bigger than that of the controls' (intergroup difference 5%, P = 0.117). We suggest that bones subjected to exceptionally high bending-loading (distal radius and radial shaft) are larger than their normal counterparts while at sites experiencing axial, compressive-loading (e.g., distal femur), a denser trabecular structure (more load-carrying area) may be sufficient and any substantial enlargement in bone size may not be necessary.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Association of physical activity and calcium intake with the maintenance of bone mass in premenopausal women.

Altogether 92 initially 25- to 30-year-old women of 132 original subjects participated in this 4-year follow-up study, which evaluated the influence of physical activity and calcium intake on the bone mineral content (BMC) of premenopausal women. The subjects were originally selected for a cross-sectional study according to their level of physical activity (high PA+ and low PA-) and calcium intake (high Ca+ and low Ca-), and the original groups were maintained in this follow-up study. The mean loss of BMC (95% CI) in the pooled data was 1.5% (0.7% to 2.4%) at the femoral neck, 0.6% (-0.8% to 1.9%) at the trochanter and 6.0% (4.5% to 7.4%) at the distal radius during the 4-year follow-up. According to repeated measures analyses of covariance neither physical activity nor physical fitness at baseline was associated with the rate of bone loss from the proximal femur. High calcium intake and the maintenance of body weight were both associated with a lower rate of bone loss from the proximal femur and distal radius. In addition, a long duration of breast feeding was associated with a higher rate of bone loss from the distal radius.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Walking trials in postmenopausal women: effect of one vs two daily bouts on aerobic fitness.

We compared the effects of one vs two daily bouts of walking on aerobic fitness and body composition in postmenopausal women. One hundred and thirty-four subjects were randomized into exercise groups or a control group and 130 completed the study. The subjects walked 5 d/week for 15 weeks at 65% of their maximal aerobic power expending 300 kcal (1255 kJ) in exercise in one (Group S1) or two daily sessions (Group S2). VO(2max) was measured in a direct maximal treadmill test. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated and the percentage of body fat (fat%) estimated using skinfold measurements. The net change in the VO(2max) was 2.5 mL min/kg (95% CI 1.5, 3.5) (8.7%) in Group S1 and 2.5 mL min/kg (95% CI 1.5, 3.5) (8.8%) in Group S2. The net change in body mass was -1.2 kg (95% CI-1.9, -0.5) in Group S1 and -1.1 kg (95% CI -1.8, -0.4) in Group S2. The net fat% change was -2.1% (95% CI-2.7, -1.4) in Group S1 and -1.7% (95% CI-2.3, -1.0) in Group S2. Exercise improved the maximal aerobic power and body composition equally when walking was performed in one or two daily bouts.

Body Composition↗

PubMed2002

Does previous participation in high-impact training result in residual bone gain in growing girls? One year follow-up of a 9-month jumping intervention.

The skeletal response to exercise and training on bone is exceptionally good during the growing years. However, it is not known whether the benefit of training on bone is maintained after the training. This 20-month follow-up study assessed the effect of a 9-month jumping intervention on bone gain and physical performance in 99 girls (mean age 12.5 +/- 1.5 years at the beginning of the study) one year after the end of the intervention. Both bone mineral content (BMC), by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at the lumbar spine and proximal femur, and physical performance parameters (standing long jump, leg extension strength, and shuttle run tests) were measured at baseline and at 20 months. A multivariate regression analysis was first used to determine the best predictors of the BMC accrual by time. Analysis showed that age at baseline and square of age, changes in height and weight, and pubertal development into Tanner stages 4 and 5 during the follow-up explained the majority of the BMC gain. Then, the effect of participation in the 9-month exercise intervention on BMC accrual and physical performance was analysed adding this variable (participation: yes/no) into the model. The regression analysis showed that the trainees (N = 50) had 4.9 % (95 % CI, 0.9 % to 8.8 %, p = 0.017) greater BMC increase in the lumbar spine than the controls (N = 49). The mean 20-month BMC increase in the lumbar spine was 28 % (SD 19) in the trainees compared to 22 % (12) increase in the controls. In the proximal femur, the trend was similar but the obtained 2 to 3 % higher BMC accrual in the trainees (compared to that in controls) were statistically insignificant. Among the performance variables, using the same model that best predicted the BMC accrual, the only statistically significant between-groups difference, in favour of the trainees, was the improvement in the standing long jump test (6.4 %, 95 % CI, 2.3 % to 10.4 %, p = 0.002). Improvements in the leg extension strength and shuttle run tests showed no between-groups difference. In conclusion, although the greatest proportion of bone mineral accrual in growing girls is attributable to growth, an additional bone gain achieved by jumping training is maintained at the lumbar spine at least a year after the end of the training.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2002

Randomised, controlled walking trials in postmenopausal women: the minimum dose to improve aerobic fitness?

BACKGROUND: The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 20-60 minutes of aerobic exercise three to five days a week at an intensity of 40/50-85% of maximal aerobic power (VO(2)MAX) reserve, expending a total of 700-2000 kcal (2.93-8.36 MJ) a week to improve aerobic power and body composition. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the minimum effective dose of exercise. METHODS: Voluntary, healthy, non-obese, sedentary, postmenopausal women (n = 121), 48-63 years of age, were randomised to four low dose walking groups or a control group; 116 subjects completed the study. The exercise groups walked five days a week for 24 weeks with the following intensity (% of VO(2)MAX) and energy expenditure (kcal/week): group W1, 55%/1500 kcal; group W2, 45%/1500 kcal; group W3, 55%/1000 kcal; group W4, 45%/1000 kcal. VO(2)MAX was measured in a direct maximal treadmill test. Submaximal aerobic fitness was estimated as heart rates at submaximal work levels corresponding to 65% and 75% of the baseline VO(2)MAX. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated and percentage of body fat (F%) estimated from skinfolds. RESULTS: The net change (the differences between changes in each exercise group and the control group) in VO(2)MAX was 2.9 ml/min/kg (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5 to 4.2) in group W1, 2.6 ml/min/kg (95% CI 1.3 to 4.0) in group W2, 2.4 ml/min/kg (95% CI 0.9 to 3.8) in group W3, and 2.2 ml/min/kg (95% CI 0.8 to 3.5) in group W4. The heart rates in standard submaximal work decreased 4 to 8 beats/min in all the groups. There was no change in BMI, but the F% decreased by about 1% unit in all the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Walking (for 24 weeks) at moderate intensity 45% to 55% of VO(2)MAX, with a total weekly energy expenditure of 1000-1500 kcal, improves VO(2)MAX and body composition of previously sedentary, non-obese, postmenopausal women. This dose of exercise apparently approaches the minimum effective dose.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2002

Improved functional status in 16 years of follow up of middle aged and elderly men and women in north eastern Finland.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To investigate age, period, and cohort effects on functional status. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study with measurements in 1981, 1990, and 1996. SETTING: Three municipalities in north east Finland. PARTICIPANTS: A regionally representative sample of 19 to 63 year old men and women was drawn from the census data in 1979, of which 758 men and 1033 women initially aged 39-63 years entered the study in 1980 and completed the follow up in 1996 (90.9% of the alive cohort). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Functional status was determined based on self estimated disabilities (difficulties or not able) to walk 2 km, climb several flights of stairs, and run 100 m. The age adjusted odds of disability in stair climbing and running were lower among the men and the women in 1990 and 1996 than among the men and the women in 1981. There was a declining trend in the odds of disability with succeeding birth cohorts among both the men (odds ratios (OR) 0.79 and 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.70 to 0.88 for stair climbing and OR 0.88 and 95% CI 0.78 to 0.98 for running) and the women (OR 0.85 and 95% CI 0.77 to 0.93 for stair climbing and OR 0.85 and 95% CI 0.76 to 0.94 for running). No statistically significant differences in walking disability were found between the study periods or the study cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: The findings depict an improved time trend in functional status in the study population, with implications for future health and social care planning.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2001

Maintenance of body weight, physical activity and calcium intake helps preserve bone mass in elderly women.

This prospective study focused on lifestyle factors and weight maintenance that may modulate the rate of bone loss at the weight-bearing proximal femur and non-weight-bearing distal radius in elderly women. Altogether 128 women of 134 subjects participated in this study with a mean follow-up time 3.9 years (range 2.9-5.3 years). The initially 60- to 65-year-old subjects were originally selected by their level of physical activity [high (PA+) and low (PA-)] and calcium intake [high (Ca+) and low (Ca-)], and the original groups were maintained in this study. Physical fitness and bone mineral content (BMC) decreased significantly at a similar rate in all four study groups without any statistically significant between-group difference. The mean change in the muscle strength of leg extensors was -3.3% (95% CI -5% to -1.5%) at follow-up when including all individuals. The leg extension strength was still 9.2% (95% CI 2.7% to 16.1%) better in the PA+ groups compared with PA- groups at follow-up. The mean change in the forearm flexion strength was -14% (95% CI -16.5% to -11.3%) at follow-up with no difference in the strength level between PA+ and PA- groups. The mean change in the estimated oxygen uptake was -3.4% (95% CI -5.6% to -1.1%) at follow-up. The PA+ groups were still fitter, the between-group difference in the estimated oxygen uptake being 11.9% (95% CI 4.8% to 19.5%). The mean changes in BMC at follow-up were -2.1% (95% CI -3.0% to -1.2%) at the femoral neck, -1.9% (95% CI -3.2% to -0.5%) at the trochanter, and -12.4% (95% CI -15.4% to -9.4%) at the distal radius, indicating mean annual losses of 0.6% (95% CI 0.3% to 0.8%), 0.5% (95% CI 0.1% to 0.8%), and 3.2% (95% CI 2.4% to 4.0%), respectively. Decreased body weight was associated with higher bone loss in all measured bone sites. High calcium intake and better preservation of physical fitness were associated with a smaller decrease in femoral neck BMC.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

Reduced oxidized low-density lipoprotein after weight reduction in obese premenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: Several studies support the hypothesis that oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) promotes atherogenesis. Obesity is one of the risk factors of atherosclerosis, but it is not known whether obesity is related to LDL oxidation. OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: We investigated the effect of weight reduction and subsequent weight maintenance program on LDL oxidation in 77 obese premenopausal women (BMI 29-46 kg/m(2)). Another group of seven obese women served as a control group. Oxidized LDL was measured as baseline concentration of conjugated dienes in LDL lipids (ox-LDL). The weight reduction was performed in 12 weeks, using a very-low-energy diet. RESULTS: The mean weight loss was 13 kg (92 vs 79 kg). During weight reduction, the concentration of LDL cholesterol decreased by 11%, the concentration of ox-LDL decreased by 40%, and the ratio of ox-LDL to LDL by 33%. The concentration of LDL antioxidant capacity (LDL-TRAP) decreased by 8%, but the decrease was caused by the decrease in LDL. The concentration of LDL, ox-LDL or LDL-TRAP did not change in the control group. The weight reduction correlated with the decrease of ox-LDL. During the subsequent 9 month weight maintenance programme, the concentrations of serum LDL (10%), ox-LDL (11%), LDL-TRAP (29%), and the ratio of LDL-TRAP to LDL (21%) decreased. CONCLUSION: This study strengthens the evidence that the risk of atherogenesis is influenced favourably by weight reduction in obese women. This risk reduction is associated with a reduced oxidation of LDL.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Bone mineral density of visually handicapped women.

While physical activity is an essential factor for muscle performance and development and also for the maintenance of bone mass in the loaded bones, apparently low intensity of physical activity of blind persons may compromise the muscle performance and bone mineral density (BMD). Therefore, the aim was to study whether there are differences in BMD of the weight-bearing or non-weight-bearing bones between visually handicapped persons and those with normal sight. Nineteen visually handicapped premenopausal women and their matched pairs were recruited to the study. The mean age of the visually handicapped women was 39.9 years (SD 8.1) and that of the women with normal vision 39.7 years (6.5). BMD of the distal radius, femoral neck and trochanter was measured with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and isometric muscle strength of the extremities and trunk with a dynamometer. Between-group differences were compared with paired Student's t-test. The BMD at the femur was 8% higher in favour of the group with normal sight, whereas radial BMD was similar in the two groups. The t-score was -1.0 (95% confidence interval -1.5 to -0.5) for the femoral neck BMD and -0.7 (-1.1 to -0.2) for the trochanter BMD in the group with impaired vision. The respective t-scores for the group with normal sight were -0.3 (-0.9 to 0.3) for the femoral neck and 0 (-0.7 to 0.7) for the trochanter. Visual handicap seems to be a risk for lower BMD of the weight-bearing proximal femur, but not for lower BMD of the non-weight-bearing distal radius.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2001

Relationship between high-density lipoprotein paraoxonase gene M/L55 polymorphism and carotid atherosclerosis differs in smoking and nonsmoking men.

The enzyme paraoxonase (PON) can eliminate lipid peroxides and is believed to protect against low-density lipoprotein oxidation. A common polymorphism in the PON gene (PON1) causes an amino acid substitution of methionine (M) for leucine (L) at position 55 in the protein, which changes the activity of PON and can affect the risk of atherosclerosis. Because smoking is associated with increased lipid peroxidation, we studied the relationship between PON M/L55 polymorphism and the carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) in smokers or previous smokers (n = 112) and nonsmokers (n = 87). IMT was measured at 3 standardized segments by B-mode ultrasonography, and the overall mean IMT value of 199 randomly selected men (mean age 54.2 +/- 3.0 years) was calculated. Subjects with IMT > 1.7 mm in at least 1 standard site were considered to have carotid artery atherosclerotic disease (CAAD). For analysis, L55 homozygotes were compared with the M55 allele carriers. Nonsmoking L55 homozygotes had an 8.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6 to 16.8) higher overall mean IMT than M55 allele carriers. In smokers, however, the M55 allele carriers tended to have higher overall mean IMT values than L55 homozygotes. There was also a statistically significant interaction between M/L55 genotype and smoking status on CAAD (P =.009) by logistic regression analysis. Among nonsmokers, the L55 homozygotes had an odds ratio of 4.22 (95% CI, 1.06 to 16.8) for CAAD compared with nonsmoking M55 allele carriers. Contrary to nonsmokers, the smoking M55 allele carriers had an odds ratio of 2.22 (95% CI, 0.82 to 6.01) for CAAD when the L55/L55 genotype of smokers was a reference group. These data suggest that in nonsmoking men, a PON L55/L55 genotype may represent a genetic risk factor for CAAD. The reverse effect in smokers implies that the ability of PON to protect against CAAD is influenced by cigarette smoking. The efficiency of this inhibition probably depends on the PON M/L55 genotype.

Alleles↗

PubMed2001

Test-retest reproducibility and inter-rater reliability of a motor skill test battery for adults.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of nine selected tests for the following basic motor skills: balance, orientation, sense of rhythm, kinaesthetic precision and flexibility. Twenty-five healthy, non-sporting volunteers (14 men, 11 women, aged 36-72 years) were tested in three sessions at one-week intervals by two raters. For the tests of balance on a bar, tandem walking backwards and forwards and ball bouncing, the within-participant and between-session repeatability, as assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), was high (ICC 0.83-0.96), and for the rhythm test it was fair (ICC 0.70). The inter-rater reliability was also high for all the tests (ICC 0.88-0.96) except that for rhythm (ICC 0.76). In a test-retest design, these tests were sensitive enough to produce sufficient variation between participants in terms of differentiating between individuals. The learning effect was the most remarkable between the pretest and test sessions, and the reliability was better for the test-retest session although a statistically significant difference existed only for tandem walking forwards (p<0.02) and balance on a bar (p<0.004). The tests with quantitative scores had a smaller margin of error than those with qualitative scores. These tests provide reliable alternatives for assessing basic motor skills of non-sporting adults in the context of physical activity promotion.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Dose response between total volume of physical activity and health and fitness.

PURPOSE: Studies published in 1990s were evaluated for the possible dose response between the total volume of physical activity and the fitness and health outcomes, and for the characteristics of the dose response relations. METHODS: Nineteen observational studies and 15 randomized trials were identified. The scope of the studies was on primary prevention among inactive, healthy, middle-aged and elderly men and women. MET-min x wk(-1) was used as the primary volume measure. No studies addressing specifically the volume-outcome dose response were identified. RESULTS: The cross-sectional and follow-up studies suggested a graded dose response of the volume of physical activity with all-cause mortality, stroke and several coronary heart disease risk factors. The benefits were apparent among both men and women. Nonrandomized and uncontrolled randomized trials exhibited no clear dose response relationship, whereas the randomized controlled trials showed a crude graded dose response between the exercise volume as measured by MET-min x wk(-1) and VO(2max) but not between volume and disease risk factors. An apparently clearer dose response was seen between the intensity of physical activity and the VO(2max) response. These data do not allow for quantitative characterization of the observed dose response relations between physical activity volume and health and fitness. CONCLUSION: Fairly strong evidence indicates a crude dose response between the total volume of weekly physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness but only weak evidence for a dose response of activity volume and health measurers.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Good maintenance of exercise-induced bone gain with decreased training of female tennis and squash players: a prospective 5-year follow-up study of young and old starters and controls.

This prospective 5-year follow-up study of 64 adult female racquet sports players and 27 controls assessed the changes in the playing-to-nonplaying arm bone mineral content (BMC) differences to answer three questions: (1) Are training-induced bone gains lost with decreased training? (2) Is the bone response to decreased training different if the playing career has been started before or at puberty rather than after it? (3) Are the possible bone changes related to the changes in training? The players were divided into two groups according to the starting age of their tennis or squash playing. The mean starting age was 10.5 years (SD, 2.2) among the players who had started training before or at menarche (young starters; n = 36) while 26.4 years (SD, 8.0) among those players who had begun training a minimum of 1 year after menarche (old starters; n = 28). At baseline of the 5-year follow-up, the mean age of the young starters was 21.6 years (SD, 7.6) and that of old starters was 39.4 years (SD, 10.5). During the follow-up, the young starters had reduced the average training frequency from 4.7 times a week (2.7) to 1.4 times a week (1.3) and the old starters from 4.0 times a week (1.4) to 2.0 times a week (1.4), respectively. The 5-year follow-up revealed that despite reduced training the exercise-induced bone gain was well maintained in both groups of players regardless of their clearly different starting age of activity and different amount of exercise-induced bone gain. The gain was still 1.3-2.2 times greater in favor of the young starters (at the follow-up, the dominant-to-nondominant arm BMC difference was 22% [8.4] in the humeral shaft of the young starters versus 10% [3.8] in the old starters, and 3.5% [2.4] in controls). In the players, changes in training were only weakly related to changes in the side-to-side BMC difference (r(s) = 0.05-0.34, all NS), and this was true even among the players who had stopped training completely a minimum 1 year before the follow-up. In conclusion, if controlled interventions will confirm our findings that an exercise-induced bone gain can be well maintained with decreased activity and that the maintenance of the bone gain is independent of the starting age of activity, exercise can be recommended for preventing osteoporosis and related fractures.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

A controlled trial of the health benefits of regular walking on a golf course.

PURPOSE: To study the effects of regular walking during a golf game on various health and fitness indicators in middle-aged men. METHODS: Study subjects were 55 healthy male golfers aged 48 to 64 years who had been sedentary during the 7 months before the study, and 55 age-matched, similarly sedentary controls. During the 20-week study, those in the intervention group were encouraged to play golf two to three times a week; the controls were not. Measurements of body composition, cardiorespiratory performance, motor and musculoskeletal fitness, blood pressure, and serum lipid, glucose, and insulin levels were obtained at baseline and after the 20-week study. RESULTS: Walking during a golf game was a practical and safe form of physical activity with high adherence. It significantly increased aerobic performance and trunk muscle endurance, with a net difference (pretraining to posttraining change between the golfers and controls) of 36 seconds (95% confidence interval [CI]: 19 to 53 seconds, P < 0.001) for treadmill walking time and 13 seconds (95% CI: 2 to 24 seconds, P = 0.02) for static back extension. In addition, regular walking favorably affected body composition, including reductions in weight of 1.4 kg (95% CI: 0.6 to 2.1 kg, P < 0.001), in waist circumference of 2.2 cm (95% CI: 1.0 to 3.3 cm, P < 0.001), and in abdominal skin fold thickness of 2.2 cm (95% CI: 0.9 to 3.4 cm, P = 0.001). Golfers also had significantly greater increases in serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels and in the ratio of HDL cholesterol to total cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS: Regular walking had many positive effects on the health and fitness of sedentary middle-aged men. Walking during a golf game is characterized by high adherence and low risk of injury and is therefore a good form of health-enhancing physical activity.

Aged↗

PubMed2000

High-impact exercise and bones of growing girls: a 9-month controlled trial.

The maximum amount of bone a person can obtain during the first two decades of life is an important determinant of bone mass in later life, and an increase in peak bone mass has been associated with decreased risk for osteoporotic fractures. It is known that growth of bone and thus development of peak bone mass are strongly controlled by genetic factors, but information on the role of environmental factors, such as exercise and nutrition, (e.g., exercise) on growing bone is limited. We tested a hypothesis that in growing girls the benefit of mechanical loading on bone mineral mass and bone strength is better before rather than after the menarche. Sixty-four girls (25 premenarcheal, 39 postmenarcheal) carried out a supervised 9-month step-aerobic program (two sessions per week), each session complemented with additional jumps. Sixty-two girls (33 premenarcheal, 29 postmenarcheal) served as controls. Bone mineral content (BMC) at the lumbar spine and proximal femur was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). In addition, the cortical density (CoD, mg/cm3) and cortical cross-sectional area (CoA, mm2) and the density-weighted polar section modulus (BSI, mm3) of the tibial midshaft were determined by peripheral quantitative tomography (pQCT). In the premenarcheal girls, BMC increased statistically significantly more in the trainees than controls at the lumbar spine (p = 0.012) (8.6% vs 5.3%) and femoral neck (p = 0.014) (9.3% vs 5.3%). In the tibial midshaft, the intergroup differences (CoD, CoA and BSI) were not significant. The postmenarcheal girls showed no significant post-training intergroup differences in any of the bone parameters (BMC increased in the lumbar spine 6.0% vs 4.9%; femoral neck 3.4% vs 3.2%; and trochanter 2.6% vs 3.5%). Although a large proportion of bone mineral increase in the growing girls of this study was attributable to growth itself, this 9-month exercise intervention showed that a clear and large additional bone gain could be obtained in exercising premenarcheal girls, but not in exercising postmenarcheal girls. In other words, exercise seemed more beneficial for additional bone mineral acquisition before menarche (i.e., during the growth spurt) rather than after it.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

PubMed2000

Apolipoprotein E polymorphism and carotid artery intima-media thickness in a random sample of middle-aged men.

Genetic polymorphism of apolipoprotein E (apoE) is an important factor in the development of coronary artery disease but the results concerning apoE genotype and carotid artery atherosclerosis remain controversial. We investigated a random sample of 189 Finnish middle aged men (mean age 54 years, range 50-59) to assess the role of apoE in the process of carotid atherosclerosis. Intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery wall was measured at three standardised segments (common carotid artery, bifurcation and internal carotid artery) by B-mode ultrasonography. Overall mean IMT value was also calculated. The carriers of E3/2 (n=20) genotype had significantly lower (P<0.01) total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentrations than carriers of E3/3 genotype (n=109) or the E4 allele (n=60). ApoE polymorphism was associated with common carotid artery IMT (P=0.034) when adjusted for age and body-mass index (model 1). The carriers of E3/2 had on average 9% (95% CI 0.8-16%, P=0.028) lower common carotid IMT values than the carriers of E3/3. After further adjustment with LDL and HDL cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, lipoprotein (a), apolipoprotein B and pack-years of smoking (model 2) the association was not statistically significant. The overall mean IMT varied significantly with apoE genotype (P=0.03 for model 1 and P=0.07 for model 2), and it was also lowest in the carriers of E3/2 genotype. This suggests that apoE E3/2 genotype is a protective factor in the development of carotid artery atherosclerosis in randomly selected middle-aged men. The favourable effect might be mediated at least partly by the lowering effect of E3/2 genotype on serum cholesterol.

Aging↗

PubMed2000

Body mass index, physical inactivity and low level of physical fitness as determinants of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality--16 y follow-up of middle-aged and elderly men and women.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the independent associations and the possible interaction of body mass index (BMI), leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and perceived physical fitness and functional capability with the risk of mortality. DESIGN: Prospective 16y follow-up study. SUBJECTS: A regionally representative cohort of 35-63-y-old Finnish men (n= 1,090) and women (n= 1,122). MEASUREMENTS: All-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality were derived from the national census data until the end of September 1996 while the initial levels of BMI, LTPA, physical fitness and function were determined from self-administered questionnaires. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, marital and employment status, perceived health status, smoking and alcohol consumption, the Cox proportional hazards model showed that BMI was not associated with the risk of death among the men or the women. Compared with the most active subjects the men and women with no weekly vigorous activity had relative risks of 1.61 (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.98-2.64) and 4.68 (95% CI, 1.41-15.57), respectively, for CVD mortality, and for the men there was a relative risk of 1.66 (95% CI, 0.92-2.99) for CHD mortality. When compared with the men who perceived their fitness as better than their age-mates, the men with the 'worse' assessment had a relative risk of 3.29 (95% CI, 1.80-6.02) for all-cause mortality and 4.37 (95% CI, 1.80-10.6) for CVD mortality. Men with at least some difficulty in walking a distance of 2 km had a relative risk of 1.62 (95% CI, 1.05-2.50) for all-cause mortality when compared with those who had no functional difficulties. In addition, in the comparison with subjects with no functional difficulties, the men and women who had some difficulty climbing several flights of stairs had relative risks of 1.47 (95% CI, 0.97-2.23) and 2.39 (95% CI, 1.25-4.60) for all-cause mortality, respectively. For CVD mortality the relative risks were 1.85 (95% CI, 1.04-3.30) and 3.38 (1.22-9.41), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although BMI did not prove to be an independent risk factor for mortality from CVD, CHD or from all causes combined, perceived physical fitness and functional capability did. An increase in LTPA seems to have a similar beneficial effect on the mortality risk of obese and nonobese men and women, and the effect also seems to be similar for fit and unfit subjects.

Adult↗