Accelerometer-derived physical activity and sedentary time and cardiac biomarkers: The Maastricht Study

E J Vandercappellen; A Koster; H H C M Savelberg; S J P M Eussen; P C Dagnelie; M T Schram; M M J van Greevenbroek; A Wesselius; J P Kooman; A A Kroon; R M A Henry; C D A Stehouwer

doi:10.3389/fcvm.2023.1081713

Accelerometer-derived physical activity and sedentary time and cardiac biomarkers: The Maastricht Study

Front Cardiovasc Med. 2023 Apr 28:10:1081713. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2023.1081713. eCollection 2023.

Authors

E J Vandercappellen^{1

2

3}, A Koster^{3

4}, H H C M Savelberg^{5

6}, S J P M Eussen^{2

3

7}, P C Dagnelie^{1

2}, M T Schram^{1

2

8}, M M J van Greevenbroek^{1

2}, A Wesselius⁷, J P Kooman^{1

6}, A A Kroon^{1

2

8}, R M A Henry^{1

2

8}, C D A Stehouwer^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
² CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
³ CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
⁴ Department of Social Medicine, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
⁵ Department of Nutrition and Movement Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
⁶ NUTRIM School for Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
⁷ Department of Epidemiology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
⁸ Heart and Vascular Center, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Abstract

Background: Cardiac troponins and NT-proBNP are biomarkers of cardiac injury that are used clinically in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction and heart failure. It is not known whether the amount, types and patterns of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour are associated with levels of cardiac biomarkers.

Methods: In the population-based Maastricht Study (n = 2,370, 51.3% male, 28.3% T2D) we determined cardiac biomarkers hs-cTnI, hs-cTnT, and NT-proBNP. PA and sedentary time were measured by activPAL and divided into quartiles [quartile 1 (Q1) served as reference]. The weekly pattern of moderate-to-vigorous PA (insufficiently active; regularly actives; weekend warriors) and coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated. Linear regression analyses were conducted with adjustment for demographic, lifestyle, and cardiovascular risk factors.

Results: There was no consistent pattern between physical activity (different intensities: total, light, moderate-to-vigorous and vigorous) and sedentary time on the one hand and hs-cTnI and hs-cTnT on the other. Those with the highest levels of vigorous intensity PA had significantly lower levels of NT-proBNP. With regard to PA patterns, weekend warriors and regularly actives had lower levels of NT-proBNP but not with hs-cTnI and hs-cTnT (reference:insufficiently actives). A higher weekly moderate-to-vigorous PA CV (indicating more irregular activity) was associated with lower levels of hs-cTnI and higher levels of NT-proBNP, but not with hs-cTnT.

Conclusions: In general, there was no consistent association between PA and sedentary time and cardiac troponins. In contrast, vigorous and possibly moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA, especially if done regularly, were associated with lower levels of NT-proBNP.

Keywords: cardiac biomarkers; cardiac injury; physical activity; sedentary time; type 2 diabetes.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the European Regional Development Fund via OP-Zuid, the Province of Limburg, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs (grant no. 31O.041), Stichting De Weijerhorst (Maastricht, The Netherlands), the Pearl String Initiative Diabetes (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), the Cardiovascular Center (CVC, Maastricht, the Netherlands), CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases (Maastricht, The Netherlands), CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute (Maastricht, The Netherlands), NUTRIM School for Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (Maastricht, the Netherlands), Stichting Annadal (Maastricht, The Netherlands), Health Foundation Limburg (Maastricht, The Netherlands), and by unrestricted grants from Janssen-Cilag B.V. (Tilburg, The Netherlands), Novo Nordisk Farma B.V. (Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands), and Sanofi-Aventis Netherlands B.V. (Gouda, the Netherlands). This project was partly funded through and EFSD award support by AstraZeneca.