Light intensity activities, such as walking or household chores, were associated with a lower risk of death for people with cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.
Nearly 90% of U.S. adults have at least one component of CKM syndrome, which includes high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol and lipids, high blood glucose, excess weight and reduced kidney function. When combined, these factors increase the risk for heart attack, stroke and heart failure more than any one of them alone. CKM stages range from 0 to 4, with higher numbers indicating greater risk.
Researchers used data from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which included accelerometer readings from about 7,200 adults over up to seven days. They classified activity levels as light, moderate or vigorous. “Light physical activity is something you can do without losing your breath,” said study lead author Joseph Sartini, a Ph.D. candidate at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Common examples are yoga, casual walking, stretching and household chores.”
The study found that light physical activity was significantly associated with lower risk of death in CKM syndrome stages 2, 3, and 4. A one-hour increase in light physical activity each day was associated with a 14% to 20% lower risk of death over 14 years. The benefits were more pronounced at higher CKM stages; for instance, increasing activity from 90 minutes to two hours daily was associated with a 2.2% risk reduction in stage 2 compared to a 4.2% risk reduction in stage 4.
“There’s growing evidence that lighter activity like walking or gardening can be beneficial for heart health,” said study author Michael Fang, Ph.D., M.H.S., assistant professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “However, studies have not examined the long-term benefits for those with heart disease or those at high risk for heart disease.”
Bethany Barone Gibbs, Ph.D., FAHA, an American Heart Association volunteer and professor at West Virginia University School of Public Health, noted that “light intensity activities provide a great opportunity to promote energy expenditure, movement and circulation—all healthy physiological processes that we assume are related to better health—but research in this area is limited.”
The study is observational, so it can only point to associations rather than cause and effect. Researchers cannot conclude that increasing light physical activity directly decreases risk of death. However, the findings suggest that for individuals with advanced CKM syndrome, light activity may be a feasible and effective tool to improve health outcomes.
