Search

Abstract: We studied whether factors related to type of sport participated in as young adults and level of and changes in physical activity later in life predict changes in mood as well as functioning during a 6-year follow-up. A cohort of male Finnish former athletes (N =504), referents (N =349) was followed up for changes in physical activity, in relation to subsequent self-reported mood and functioning of daily living in 1985, 1995, and 2001. The mean age of the cohort was 68.6 years in 2001. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to assess changes in mood and functioning between 1995 and 2001 in relation to baseline values and changes in exposure variables and covariates. A low level of physical activity in 1985 predicted a decrease in physical functioning between 1995 and 2001 in the lowest physical activity compared to the highest quintile as well as poor physical functioning at the end of follow-up in 2001. An increase in physical activity between 1985 and 1995 protected against onset of anxiety between 1995 and 2001. Physical activity for elderly seems to have an important role in reducing the progress of deficiencies in physical functioning and in preventing onset of anxiety. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The relative importance of determinants in bone mineral density (BMD) in adult men is partly unclear. Our goals were to investigate the effects of familial aggregation and behavioral factors on the change in BMD during a 5-yr follow-up. Subjects (n=140) were 70 exposure-discordant monozygotic twin pairs (age 35–69yr). BMD was measured with the same dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanner at baseline and at the 5-yr follow-up. A variety of covariates were used including physical examination and interview data. Multivariate linear regression was used. The mean annual decrease in femoral BMD was 0.2%. The mean lumbar BMD was unchanged, although 8–17% of subjects had a decrease of more than 5%. Familial aggregation explained 14% of the changes in femoral BMD and 19% in lumbar BMD. The stability of BMD in the follow-up was high, both for individuals (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]=0.90–0.94) and for co-twins in a pair (ICC=0.77–0.84). In femoral BMD, use of alcohol (p =0.006), coffee (p =0.046), and beta-blockers (p =0.043) led to increases, whereas smoking led to a decrease (p <0.01). We concluded that frequent increases in BMD, influenced by beta-blockers, partly explain the minor mean changes during follow-up; however, about every 10th subject had a significant decrease. Overall, familial effects played a dominant role in BMD changes in adult men. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper examines the links between risky health behaviors and labor market success. We provide new evidence on the joint relationships between the most prominent forms of risky health behavior − alcohol consumption, smoking and physical inactivity − and long-term labor market outcomes. We use twin data for Finnish men and women linked to register-based individual information on earnings and labor market attachment. The twin data allow us to account for shared family and environmental factors and to measure risky health behaviors in 1975 and 1981. The long-term labor market outcomes were measured in adulthood as an average over the period 1990–2009. The sample sizes are 2156 and 2498 twins, for men and women, respectively. We find that being both a smoker and a heavy drinker in early adulthood is negatively related to long-term earnings and employment later in life, especially for men. We conclude that how and why risky health behaviors cluster and how that affects individual level outcomes call for more attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The moderate-strength association between PA and cognition or reduced dementia incidence may be explained in part by familial factors. • In MZ co-twin control design, PA may increase GM volume in striatal, prefrontal and hippocampal regions independent of familial factors. • In MZ co-twin control design, LTPA may expedite preconcious visual processing and dampen strength of unattended deviant somatosensory stimuli. Regular physical activity (PA) offers positive effects on the human body. However, the effects of PA on cognition and in the brain are less clear. In this paper, we narratively review the relationship of PA with cognition and dementia, first from general perspective and then through genetically informed studies on the topic. Then we move on to imaging studies on exercise and brain anatomy first by presenting an overall picture of the topic and then discussing brain imaging studies addressing PA and brain structure in twins in more detailed way. Regarding PA and cognition or dementia, genetically informed studies are uncommon, even though the relationship between PA and cognitive ageing has been extensively studied. It is challenging to find twin pairs discordant for PA and dementia. Concerning brain imaging studies, among PA discordant young adult twin pairs, the more active co-twins showed larger gray matter volumes in striatal, prefrontal, and hippocampal regions and in electrophysiological studies automatic deviance-detection processes differed in brain regions involved with sensorimotor, visual and memory functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leisure-time physical activity is a key contributor to physical and mental health. Yet the role of physical activity in modulating cortical function is poorly known. We investigated whether precognitive sensory brain functions are associated with the level of physical activity. Physical activity history (3-yr-LTMET), physiological measures and somatosensory mismatch response (sMMR) in EEG were recorded in 32 young healthy twins. In all participants, 3-yr-LTMET correlated negatively with body fat%, r = −0.77 and positively with VO 2max , r = 0.82. The fat% and VO 2max differed between 15 physically active and 17 inactive participants. Trend toward larger sMMR was seen in inactive compared to active participants. This finding was significant in a pairwise comparison of 9 monozygotic twin pairs discordant for physical activity. Larger sMMR reflecting stronger synchronous neural activity may reveal diminished gating of precognitive somatosensory information in physically inactive healthy young men compared to the active ones possibly rendering them more vulnerable to somatosensory distractions from their surroundings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Ectopic fat in muscle and liver is linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes. Recently, pancreatic lipid accumulation has also been associated with β-cell dysfunction and reduced insulin production, leading to the development of type 2 diabetes. Physical exercise training has been shown to attenuate β-cell dysfunction in patients, but little is known about its effects on pancreatic and hepatic fat accumulation. In this study, we validated in-vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) in pancreatic fat measurement with biochemical measurements in a pig model. Thereafter, the effects of increased physical activity on the amounts of pancreatic and liver fat were studied in eight monozygotic twin pairs who have discordant physical activity and fitness. Methods: Pancreatic fat content was studied in 15 pigs using 1H MRS and/or biochemical analyses. In addition, liver and pancreatic fat were assessed using 1H MRS in eight monozygotic male twin pairs with 18% mean difference in VO2max between the twin brothers. Results: Twins with higher physical fitness had 23% less liver fat (1.3±1.3% vs. 2.1±2.6%, p =0.022) but no such difference was observed in the pancreatic fat (8.2±9.3% vs. 9.8±8.5%, respectively, p =0.3). Hepatic fat content was inversely associated with VO2max. A positive association was found between pancreatic and liver fat contents (β =5.18, p =0.012). Pancreatic fat content was also associated with insulin sensitivity indexes and plasma adiponectin and glutamyltransferase concentrations. Conclusions: Pancreatic fat content is associated with insulin resistance and hepatic fat content. An active lifestyle seems to beneficially influence hepatic fat metabolism. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine how resting electrocardiographic (ECG) and other clinical variables, which can be included in a routine clinical examination, predict walking ability in older women. Three hundred and twenty women (63–75 years) without overt cardiac diseases and apparent mobility limitations were studied. Measurements performed were clinical examination (standard 12-lead resting ECG, assessment of physical activity level, presence of chronic diseases, use of beta-blockers, body mass index (BMI), ability to squat, resting blood pressure) and six-minute walking test. Participants walked 533±75m in the six-minute walking test. The best electrocardiographic predictors of long walking distance were high TV5 and TII, but their explanation rates were small (4.5% and 3.8%, respectively). In hypertensive participants (systolic blood pressure=SBP≥160mmHg), the respective values were 9.3% and 5.8%. The best predictors of long walking distance were ability to squat without limitations and low BMI (15.5% and 13.6%, respectively). Altogether the studied variables explained 36% of the variation in walking distance. The data gathered in clinical examination give useful information for the assessment of walking ability in relatively healthy older women. Resting ECG does not give clinically significant additional information for the assessment in subjects without overt cardiac disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Introduction: We studied whether vigorous physical activity in young adulthood is associated with higher femoral bone density and lower risk of hip fracture at older age in men. Materials: A cohort of former male elite athletes (n =2147) and matched control subjects (n = 1467) were studied for their leisure physical activity, and for fragility fractures at the hip (proximal femur) by Cox regression. Areal bone mineral densities (aBMD) at femoral neck and trochanter region were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in a subgroup of the former athletes (n = 87; median age 59 years) and in a population-based control group (n = 194) and compared by general linear models. Results: After their active sporting careers, the former athletes participated in leisure physical activity more than the matched control subjects (p <0.0001). The hazard ratio (HR) of osteoporotic hip fracture adjusted for the occupational group was 0.77 (95% CI 0.45 to 1.32, p =0.34) in the athletes compared with the control subjects. The mean age at the time of the fracture event was 76.9 years (95% CI 73.2 to 78.8) for the athletes and 70.6 years (95% CI 67.1 to 72.9) for the matched control subjects (p = 0.005). Adjusted for age and body mass index, aBMD at the proximal femur was significantly higher in the former athletes compared with the population-based control group (p < 0.0001 for both measurement sites). Conclusions: Osteoporotic hip fractures were sustained at a significantly older age among former athletes compared with control subjects. Clear skeletal benefits of long-term physical loading were also observed in comparative DXA measurements of aBMD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]