Abstract
[Purpose]Physical inactivity behavior at middle age or older is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, the effects of levels of habitual physical activity on arterial stiffness in elderly population remain unclear currently. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to demonstrate whether the effects of habitual physical activity could attenuate arterial stiffness in elderly individuals via a meta-analysis. [Methods]We searched the Medline and Embase databases from January 1997 through November 2017, using the medical subject headings “older population”, “physical activity” (e.g., walking, cycling, climbing, and any participation in sports), “arterial stiffness”, “pulse wave velocity”, and “cardiovascular health” published in English. Six articles (2,932 participants) were included in this meta-analysis. We investigated the effects of habitual physical activity on arterial stiffness, which was measured by the pulse wave velocity. [Results]Results confirmed heterogeneity (Q-value = 160.691, p = 0.000, I2 = 96.888) between individual studies. The effect size was calculated using random effect model. It has shown that physically active individuals have significantly lower arterial stiffness than their sedentary peers do (standardized mean difference: -1.017 ± 0.340, 95% confidence interval: -1.684 ~ -0.350, p = 0.003). [Conclusion]Findings of our systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that habitual physical activity can significantly ameliorate arterial stiffness in the elderly population.
Highlights
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide for the past years 1
The majority of CVD is caused by risk factors that could be controlled, or modified, such as hypertension, cholesterol, overweight/ obesity, tobacco use, physical inactivity, and diabetes 3
It has shown that physically active individuals have significantly lower arterial stiffness than their sedentary peers do, according to their standardized mean difference: -1.017 ± 0.340, 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.684 ~ -0.350, p = 0.003)
Summary
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide for the past years 1. CVD is the cause of more than 800,000 deaths annually and accounts for 40% of all-cause mortality in developed countries 2. The majority of CVD is caused by risk factors that could be controlled, or modified, such as hypertension, cholesterol, overweight/ obesity, tobacco use, physical inactivity, and diabetes 3. The lack of physical activity is ranked fourth, among the risk factors, and causes an estimated 3.2 million deaths worldwide 4. Recent studies support the idea that the level of physical activity is inversely related to coronary heart disease (CHD) 4 and CVD morbidity or mortality 5. Limited data exists for older adults, physical activity has demonstrated to be beneficial in cardiovascular health
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