M J. LaMonte

Cardiorespiratory fitness and C-reactive protein among a tri-ethnic sample of women

Background—Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) is associated with increased coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. Cardiorespiratory fitness (“fitness”) is related with lower CHD risk; however, its relationship with CRP is relatively unknown. Methods and Results—Cross-sectional associations between fitness and plasma CRP were examined among 135 African American (AA), Native American (NA), and Caucasian (CA) women (55±11 year; 28±6 kg/m2). Fitness was assessed with a maximal treadmill exercise test. Plasma CRP concentrations were determined with the Dade Behring high-sensitivity immunoassay. Geometric mean CRP levels were 0.43, 0.25, and 0.23 mg/dL, and average maximal MET levels of fitness were 7.2, 9.1, and 10 METs for AA, NA, and CA, respectively. CRP decreased across tertiles of fitness (P =0.002), increased across tertiles of BMI (P =0.0007), and varied by race (P =0.002). After adjustment for covariates, lower CRP (P <0.05) was observed across tertiles of fitness among NA and CA, but not AA. Among all women, after adjusting for race and covariates, the odds of high-risk CRP (>0.19 mg/dL) were 0.67 (95% CI=0.19 to 2.4) among fit (>6.5 METs) versus unfit women. Conclusions—The health benefits from enhanced fitness may have an antiinflammatory mechanism.

Physical activity, physical fitness, and framingham 10-year risk score: The cross-cultural activity participation study

PURPOSEnAlthough physical activity and physical fitness are inversely and causally associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) morbidity and mortality, available equations for estimating CHD risk do not include scores for activity or fitness. Therefore, this study evaluated the association of physical fitness and moderate-intensity physical activity with the 10-year Framingham CHD risk estimate.nnnMETHODSnCross-sectional analyses were performed on data from 137 healthy middle-aged women (53.9 +/- 9.9 yr; 28.3 +/- 6.0 kg/m2). Health histories, body composition, blood pressure, and blood samples were obtained from a clinical examination. Levels of moderate (3-6 METS) intensity physical activity, expressed as MET-minutes/day of energy expenditure, were derived from multiple 24-hour physical activity records. Physical fitness was quantified as duration of a symptom-limited maximal treadmill exercise test.nnnRESULTSnAfter adjustment for race, body mass index (BMI), and hormone replacement status, a graded reduction in the Framingham risk score was observed across low (5.8%), moderate (4.0%), and high (3.6%) fitness levels (P for trend = 0.009). Women in both the moderate and high fitness categories had a lower (P < 0.01) risk score compared with their low fit counterparts. Significant differences in risk were not seen among low (3.9%), moderate (4.9%), and high (4.4%) physical activity groups. The lack of association between the risk score by physical activity may have been due to the homogeneity of activity levels among participants. Our findings reinforce existing data that show enhanced levels of fitness are associated with lower risk for CHD.

Worry Regarding Major Diseases Among Older African-American, Native-American, and Caucasian Women

ABSTRACT This study examined worry regarding seven major diseases and their correlates in a sample of African-American (n = 57), Native-American (n = 50), and Caucasian (n = 53) women ages 36 to 91 years. African-American and Native-American women were most worried about developing cancer (44% and 50%, respectively) while Caucasian women were most worried about osteoporosis (37%) and cancer (33%). Women from each ethnic group were more worried about developing cancer than cardiovascular diseases and conditions. African-American and Native-American women were more worried than Caucasian women about developing diabetes and high cholesterol. Body mass index (BMI) was a consistent correlate of worry: heavier women were more worried about developing diseases than were leaner women. Other risk factors (e.g., physical activity, blood pressure), however, were generally not associated with disease worry. In fact, age was inversely associated with worry regarding diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis. Although women who were more worried about developing cancer were more likely to perform monthly breast self-exams, worry regarding other diseases was not associated with preventive actions. These results are generally consistent with other studies that indicate women are more concerned about cancer than cardiovascular diseases.