Longitudinal Associations of Aerobic Activity, Muscle-Strengthening Activity, and Adiposity with Cardiorespiratory Fitness

Clare Meernik; Mickey Scheinowitz; David Leonard; Carolyn E Barlow; Tammy Leonard; Kelley Pettee Gabriel; Andjelka Pavlovic; Jarett D Berry; Laura F DeFina; Kerem Shuval

doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000003571

Longitudinal Associations of Aerobic Activity, Muscle-Strengthening Activity, and Adiposity with Cardiorespiratory Fitness

Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2024 Oct 1. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003571. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Clare Meernik¹, Mickey Scheinowitz², David Leonard¹, Carolyn E Barlow¹, Tammy Leonard, Kelley Pettee Gabriel³, Andjelka Pavlovic¹, Jarett D Berry⁴, Laura F DeFina¹, Kerem Shuval¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Research, The Cooper Institute, Dallas, TX.
² Department of Biomedical Engineering, and School of Public Health, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, ISRAEL.
³ Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.
⁴ University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine, Tyler, TX.

PMID: 39350353
DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003571

Abstract

Purpose: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) declines with age, and greater declines increase the risk for adverse health outcomes. Understanding factors that attenuate age-related decreases in CRF can help extend healthy life. We sought to determine the longitudinal associations of aerobic physical activity, muscle-strengthening activity (MSA), and adiposity with CRF.

Methods: Study participants were enrolled in the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study and had ≥3 preventive medical examinations at the Cooper Clinic (Dallas, Texas) during 1987-2019. Aerobic activity and MSA were self-reported, and three measures of adiposity were clinically assessed: body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and waist circumference. CRF, expressed as metabolic equivalents (METs), was estimated by a maximal treadmill test. The longitudinal associations of aerobic activity, MSA, and adiposity with CRF were estimated using multivariable mixed linear regression models.

Results: The study included 6,105 participants who were followed for a median of 7.1 years. Most participants were men (83.6%), and their average age at baseline was 47.0 (SD: 8.7) years. Mean CRF at baseline was 12.2 (SD: 2.3) METs. Increasing aerobic activity (per 500 MET-minutes/week, β: 0.069, 95% CI: 0.064, 0.074 METs) or MSA (per days/week, β: 0.066, 95% CI: 0.058, 0.073 METs) was associated with increased CRF over time. Increasing BMI, body fat percentage, or waist circumference were each associated with decreased CRF over time.

Conclusions: These data offer longitudinal evidence on how changes in aerobic activity, MSA, and various measures of adiposity (beyond BMI) independently correlate with CRF over time. Healthy lifestyle behaviors that include increasing aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity and limiting adiposity may positively influence the retention of fitness with age and improve downstream health outcomes.