Vigorous, Not Moderate, Physical Activity Associates With Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk In Young Hispanic Men

Current ACSM guidelines recommend adults perform at least 150 min/week of moderate (MPA) to vigorous (VPA) physical activity to maintain health, regardless of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. PURPOSE: This observational study aimed to determine whether physical activity (PA) intensity could distinguish between low and high CVD risk in a group of 196 lean and obese Hispanic men aged 18-40 screened for the Study of Male Reproductive Epigenomics. METHODS: PA was measured for 7 days by waist-worn triaxial accelerometry. Serum lipids, age, smoking history, blood pressure, diabetes and treatment for hypertension were used to calculate the 30-year “Full” Framingham Risk Score (FRS). Diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2020). Statistical analyses included t-tests, chi-square tests, binary logistic regressions of “high risk” (> normal FRS risk) vs “low risk” (≤ normal FRS risk) groups, and stepwise linear regressions of absolute FRS controlling for smoking status, diet and age. RESULTS: Mean age was 30 ± 5 years with median 30-year FRS of 14% (range: 3-85%; n = 196). Full FRS risk was 20.3 ± 11.1% in the high risk group (n = 89) and 7.0 ± 3.6% in the low risk group (n = 107; p < 0.001). 98% high risk and 99% low risk participants met ACSM-recommended PA levels. The low risk group performed more VPA (time > 6 METS; 12 ± 12 vs 25 ± 20 min/day; p < 0.001). Movement intensity (g) and days with ≥20 min VPA were also greater in the low risk group (p < 0.001). Logistic regressions showed that each additional 1 min/day of VPA decreased the odds of high CVD risk by 6% (p < 0.001), adjusted for smoking status, diet and age. In contrast, MPA did not significantly predict CVD risk (p = 0.372). Stepwise regressions revealed that smoking status, VPA and diet were the strongest predictors, explaining 45.6% of the total variance in FRS (p < 0.001). Conversely, when MPA was used, the model excluded MPA and identified smoking status and diet as the strongest predictors, explaining 41.6% of the total variance in FRS (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: VPA, but not MPA, significantly distinguished between low and high CVD risk in young Hispanic men, even after adjusting for smoking, diet and age. These data suggest that higher intensity exercise may be required for reducing CVD risk in young Hispanic men, especially in those with higher-than-normal CVD risk. Supported by: P50HD098593