Exercise Intensity Affects Cardiovascular Risk

Jun 09, 2025

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The following is a summary of “Vigorous But Not Moderate Physical Activity Is Associated With Reduced Cardiovascular Disease Risk In Young Hispanic Men,” published in the May 2025 issue of American Journal of Cardiology by Gattoni et al.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommended a minimum of 150 min per week of moderate (MPA) to vigorous (VPA) physical activity (PA) to support health, regardless of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to determine whether physical activity intensity differed by cardiovascular disease risk among 196 Hispanic men aged 18 to 40, with lean or obesity status, from the Study of Male Reproductive Epigenomics.

They measured PA for 7 days using triaxial accelerometry. The 30-year “full” Framingham Risk Score (FRS) was calculated for each participant. Diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2020).

The results showed the mean age was 30 ± 5 years with a median FRS of 14% (range: 3-85%). The high-risk group (n=89) had a mean FRS of 20.3 ± 11.1%, compared to 7.0 ± 3.6% in the low-risk group (n=107; P<0.001). Both groups met recommended PA levels, but the low-risk group engaged in more VPA (25 ± 20 vs 12 ± 12 min/day; P<0.001). Logistic regression indicated each additional minute of VPA daily reduced high CVD risk odds by 4.4% (P=0.007), adjusted for smoking, diet, age, and Body Mass Index (BMI), while MPA was not predictive (P=0.823). Stepwise regression found smoking status, BMI, VPA, and diet explained 47.8% of FRS variance (P<0.001), with MPA excluded.

Investigators concluded that VPA, but not MPA, differentiated low from high CVD risk, emphasizing the importance of higher-intensity exercise for risk reduction.

Source: ajconline.org/article/S0002-9149(25)00328-5/abstract

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