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Effect of physical activity on heart rate variability in normal weight, overweight and obese subjects: results from the SAPALDIA study

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Abstract

Many studies have demonstrated an association of both a sedentary lifestyle and a high body mass index (BMI) with greater risk for cardiovascular disease. Within the prospective SAPALDIA cohort (Swiss cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults), we investigated whether regular exercise was protective against reduced heart rate variability (HRV), a clinically relevant predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and whether adverse effects of obesity and weight gain on HRV were modified by regular exercise. Twenty-four-hour electrocardiograms were recorded in 1,712 randomly selected SAPALDIA participants aged ≥50, for whom BMI was assessed in the years 1991 and 2001–2003. Other examinations included an interview investigating health status (especially respiratory and cardiovascular health and health relevant behaviours including physical activity) and measurements of blood pressure, body height and weight. The association between regular physical activity and HRV and interactions with BMI and BMI change was assessed in multivariable linear regression analyses. Compared to sedentary obese subjects, SDNN (standard deviation of all RR intervals) was 14% (95% CI: 8–20%) higher in sedentary normal weight subjects; 19% (CI: 12–27%) higher in normal weight subjects exercising regularly ≥2 h/week; and 19% (CI: 11–28%) higher in obese subjects exercising regularly ≥2 h/week. Compared with sedentary subjects who gained weight, those who gained weight but did exercise regularly had a 13% higher SDNN (CI: 7–20%). Regular physical exercise has strong beneficial effects on cardiac autonomic nervous function and thus appears to offset the negative effect of obesity on HRV.

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Acknowledgments

The study could not have been done without the help of the study participants, technical and administrative support and the medical teams and field workers at the local study sites.

Local fieldworkers: Aarau: M. Broglie, M. Bünter, D. Gashi; Basel: R. Armbruster, T. Damm, U. Egermann, M. Gut, L. Maier, A. Vögelin, L. Walter; Davos: D. Jud, N. Lutz; Geneva: M. Ares, M. Bennour, B. Galobardes, E. Namer; Lugano: B. Baumberger, S. Boccia Soldati, E. Gehrig-Van Essen, S. Ronchetto; Montana: C. Bonvin, C. Burrus; Payerne: S. Blanc, A.V. Ebinger, M.L. Fragnière, J. Jordan; Wald: R. Gimmi, N. Kourkoulos, U. Schafroth.

Administrative staff: N. Bauer, D. Baehler, C. Gabriel, R. Gutknecht-Nilly.

Holter system technicians: M. Victoire, D. Maudoux.

Mathematical HRV engineering: V. Pichot.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Basel, Steinengraben 49, 4051, Basel, Switzerland

    Denise Felber Dietrich, Ursula Ackermann-Liebrich & Christian Schindler

  2. Laboratoire de Physiologie Clinique et de l’Exercice, Université Jean Monnet, Saint-Etienne, France

    Jean-Claude Barthélémy & Frédéric Roche

  3. Zürcher Höhenklinik, Wald, Switzerland

    Otto Brändli

  4. Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, USA

    Diane R. Gold

  5. Alpine Kinderklinik, Davos, Switzerland

    Bruno Knöpfli

  6. Molecular Epidemiology/Cancer Registry, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Nicole M. Probst-Hensch

  7. Centre Valaisan de Pneumologie, Montana, Switzerland

    Jean-Marie Tschopp

  8. Institute for Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Arnold von Eckardstein

  9. Department of Community Medicine and Primary Care, University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland

    Jean-Michel Gaspoz

Authors
  1. Denise Felber Dietrich
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  2. Ursula Ackermann-Liebrich
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  4. Jean-Claude Barthélémy
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  6. Diane R. Gold
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  7. Bruno Knöpfli
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  8. Nicole M. Probst-Hensch
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  9. Frédéric Roche
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  11. Arnold von Eckardstein
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  12. Jean-Michel Gaspoz
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Sapaldia team

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Denise Felber Dietrich.

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Appendix

Appendix

SAPALDIA Team

Study directorate: T. Rochat (p), U. Ackermann-Liebrich (e), J.M. Gaspoz (c), P. Leuenberger (p), L.J.S. Liu (exp), N.M. Probst Hensch (e/g), C. Schindler (s).

Scientific team: J.C. Barthélémy (c), W. Berger (g), R. Bettschart (p), A. Bircher (a), G. Bolognini (p), O. Brändli (p), M. Brutsche (p), L. Burdet (p), M. Frey (p), M.W. Gerbase (p), D. Gold (e/c/p), W. Karrer (p), R. Keller (p), B. Knöpfli (p), N. Künzli (e/exp), U. Neu (exp), L. Nicod (p), M. Pons (p), E. Russi (p), P. Schmid-Grendelmeyer (a), J. Schwartz (e), P. Straehl (exp), J.M. Tschopp (p), A. von Eckardstein (cc), J.P. Zellweger (p), E. Zemp Stutz (e).

Scientific team at coordinating centers: P.O. Bridevaux (p), I. Curjuric (e), J. Dratva (e), D. Felber Dietrich (c), A. Gemperli (s), D. Keidel (s), M. Imboden (g), P. Staedele-Kessler (s), G.A. Thun (g).

(a) allergology, (c) cardiology, (cc) clinical chemistry, (e) epidemiology, (exp) exposure, (g) genetic and molecular biology, (m) meteorology, (p) pneumology, (s) statistics.

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Felber Dietrich, D., Ackermann-Liebrich, U., Schindler, C. et al. Effect of physical activity on heart rate variability in normal weight, overweight and obese subjects: results from the SAPALDIA study. Eur J Appl Physiol 104, 557–565 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-008-0800-0

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