Search

Background physical activity in older age has been associated with better cognitive function, but the role of earlier life physical activity is less well understood. Objective determine associations between physical activity throughout the lifespan and cognitive function in older age. Design cross-sectional study. Setting the Rancho Bernardo Study of Healthy Aging in southern California. Subjects A total of 1,826 community-dwelling men and women (60-99 years) who attended a research visit in 1988-92. Methods participants underwent cognitive testing at older age, and reported physical activity as a teenager, at age 30 years, 50 years and currently. For each time-point, participants were classified as regularly active (3+ times/week) or inactive. Results regular physical activity was associated with better cognitive function, with physical activity at older ages showing the strongest associations. Physical activity in older age was associated with better global cognitive function, executive function and episodic memory, regardless of intensity. Intense physical activity in teenage years was associated with better late-life global cognitive function in women. Teenage physical activity interacted with older age physical activity on executive function; those active at both periods performed better than those active at only one period. Similar patterns of associations were observed after excluding individuals with poor health. Conclusions regular physical activity in older age, regardless of intensity, is associated with better cognitive function. Physical activity in teenage years may enhance cognitive reserve to protect against age-related decline in executive function. Further research is needed to assess the effect of physical activity across the lifespan on healthy brain ageing.

Blood pressure is a complex quantitative trait with a strong genetic component. In this study, we leveraged the Veterans Affairs electronic medical record system to explore the relationship between Paraoxonase 1 (PON1)-108 C/T (rs705379) and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP).Outpatient blood pressure data over an approximate 8-year period was collected from the Veterans Affairs Hypertensive Cohort (N = 1,302). Association between genotype and longitudinal MAP was further explored using a random effects model controlling for age, ancestry, renal function, and other determinants of blood pressure. To control for population stratification, principal component groupings based on ancestry informative markers in this dataset were included as covariates (in addition to self-identified ancestry). Data from the African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension (AASK, N = 857) was used to confirm significant findings in an independent cohort.There was a significant interaction between PON1-108 C/T genotype and follow-up age group. At a younger age (50 years), there was an estimated 2.53 mm Hg (95% confidence interval: 1.06, 4.00) increase in MAP with each additional C-allele. At the older age groups, there were no significant associations between PON1-108 C/T genotype and MAP. Using data from the AASK trial, the C-allele at PON1-108 C/T was significantly associated with a higher MAP (P = 0.005) but only among younger participants (54 years).The PON1-108 polymorphism may be associated with MAP in an age-dependent manner.

BACKGROUND This study focuses on the relationship between β(1)-adrenergic receptor (ADRB1) polymorphisms and blood pressure response to the β-blocker metoprolol among African Americans with early hypertensive nephrosclerosis. METHODS Participants from the African-American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension (AASK) trial were genotyped for ADRB1 polymorphisms: Ser49Gly and Arg389Gly. Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the relationship between ADRB1 polymorphisms and time to reach a mean arterial pressure (MAP) of ≤107 mm Hg in the first year after randomization, adjusted for other predictors of blood pressure response. RESULTS In the Ser49Gly model, Ser49/Gly49 individuals were less responsive compared to Ser49/Ser49 only among the more obese (body mass index (BMI) ≥39 kg/m(2)) participants (P < 0.05 for genotype × BMI interaction). The hazard ratio (HR) with a BMI of 39 kg/m(2) was 0.68 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.46-0.99). In the Arg389Gly model, participants with Arg389 were less likely to respond to metoprolol: HR: 0.68 (95% CI 0.50-0.93). In addition, women were less responsive to metoprolol compared to men: HR: 0.78 (95% CI 0.60-0.995). CONCLUSIONS Ser49/Gly49 was predictive of blood pressure response to metoprolol only among more obese African Americans with early hypertensive nephrosclerosis. In contrast to other studies suggesting increased short-term responsiveness to β-blockers with Arg389, Arg389 individuals were less responsive in this study analyzing blood pressure over a 1-year period. This may be partly explained by decreased agonist-promoted desensitization with Arg389. However, gender, physiological adaption to stress, interactions between genes and between genes and the environment, as well as study in other patient populations need to be considered.

Moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with reduced mortality, but the association of alcohol with cognitively healthy longevity has not been well characterized. Here we explored the association between alcohol intake and cognitively healthy longevity among 1353 community-dwelling adults. Frequency and amount of alcohol intake was assessed by questionnaire in 1984–1987. Cognitive function was assessed at approximate 4 year intervals beginning in 1988–1992 through 2007–2009. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the association between alcohol intake and a three level outcome: cognitively healthy longevity (living to at least age 85 without cognitive impairment), survival to age 85 with cognitive impairment (defined as an MMSE score > 1.5 standard deviations below expectation for age, sex, and education), or death before age 85, with adjustment for numerous health and lifestyle factors. Only 17% of participants reported no alcohol intake; 48% reported drinking near-daily. Most drinkers (48% of the sample) consumed a moderate amount of alcohol (≤ 1drink/day for women and those over age 65; ≤2 drinks/day for men under age 65). Relative to nondrinkers, those who drank near daily had 2–3 fold higher odds of cognitively healthy longevity versus cognitive impairment (p< .05) or death before 85 (p