Lifestyle and Cardiac Structure and Function in Healthy Midlife Population

Abstract

AimThe association between lifestyle and cardiac structure and function measures such as global longitudinal strain (GLS) and diastolic function (E/e’) in a healthy midlife general population is not well known. MethodsA subpopulation of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 took part in follow-up, including echocardiography (n = 1155) at the age of 46. All antihypertensive medication users (n=164), diabetes patients (n=70), subjects with any cardiac diseases (n=24) and subjects with echocardiography abnormalities (n=21) were excluded. Moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was recorded with a wrist-worn accelerometer over 14 days and categorized into high, moderate, and low MVPA groups. Similarly, alcohol consumption was categorized as low, moderate, and high dose users of alcohol and smoking as non-smokers, former and current smokers. The total number of healthy subjects included in the study was 715 (44 % males). ResultsLeft ventricular mass index (LVMI) and left atrial end-systolic volume index (LA ESVI) were significantly higher in the high MVPA group compared to the low MVPA group (adjusted main effect p=0.002 and p<0.001, respectively). Cardiac function did not differ among PA groups. High alcohol consumption was associated with impaired GLS and E/e’ (adjusted main effect p=0.002 and p=0.004, respectively) but not with any cardiac structure variables. Smoking was not associated with cardiac structure or function. ConclusionIn healthy middle-aged adults, MVPA was independently associated with structural changes in the heart but not with cardiac function. High alcohol consumption was associated with impaired modern cardiac function measures but not with cardiac structure.