Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between physical activity (PA) and the transition from healthy status to first cardiometabolic disease (FCMD), subsequently to cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM), and further to death.</p>
PATIENTS AND METHODS: Objectively measured PA was derived from wrist-worn accelerometer data collected during 7 days in a separate cohort of 59,161 participants during 2013 to 2015. Cardiometabolic multimorbidity was defined as the occurrence of at least 2 cardiometabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and stroke. Multistate models were used to examine the impact of PA on the incidence and progression trajectory of CMM.</p>
RESULTS: During a median 7.9 years of follow-up, FCMD developed in 4074 individuals, CMM developed in 295, and 2893 died in the accelerometer-derived cohort. Performing guideline-adherent moderate-intensity physical activity (MPA; 150-300 min/wk) was related to a 29% lower risk of FCMD (hazard ratio [HR], 0.71 [0.62 to 0.81]) and a 40% lower risk of CMM (HR, 0.60 [0.39 to 0.93]). The strength of the association of MPA with the transition from healthy baseline to FCMD was greater than that of the transition from FCMD to CMM, with HRs (95% CIs) per 244.7 min/wk increase of 0.75 (0.71 to 0.80) and 0.92 (0.87 to 0.98), respectively. On dividing FCMD into 3 specific cardiometabolic diseases, there were comparable trends of MPA on the disease-specific transitions from healthy baseline to FCMD and subsequent CMM.</p>
CONCLUSION: Physical activity played comparable roles in transitions from healthy baseline to FCMD and then to CMM. These findings suggest that improving PA is a potential strategy for preventing CMM development.</p>