Walking pace shown to be associated with less subclinical atherosclerosis
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To investigate the association between physical activity and subclinical cardiovascular disease, physical activity and walking pace were assessed via questionnaire among 6482 US adults without prior cardiovascular disease participating in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) from 2000 to 2002. Ankle-brachial index (ABI), coronary artery calcification, and internal and common carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) were measured. After adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, clinic site, education, income, and smoking as confounding variables (model 1), increasing total, moderate + vigorous, and intentional-exercise physical activity were not associated with IMT or coronary artery calcification in either gender. These factors were associated with increased ABI in women only. After adjusting for model 1 variables, walking pace was associated favourably with common carotid IMT, ABI, and coronary calcification in men and with common carotid IMT and ABI in women. These associations were attenuated when lipids, hypertension, diabetes and body mass index were included in the model. These data suggest that walking pace is associated with less subclinical atherosclerosis, these associations being possibly mediated by conventional cardiovascular risk factors.
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