# Atherosclerosis Prevalence among Different Physical Activity Patterns in Adult Men

## TL;DR

This study found that doing more than 60 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week may lower the risk of early atherosclerosis in adult men.

## Contribution

The study identifies a specific threshold of vigorous physical activity linked to reduced subclinical atherosclerosis risk in men.

## Key findings

- Men doing >60 min/week of vigorous PA had 0.47 odds of femoral atherosclerosis compared to those doing 0 min/week.
- Vigorous PA >60 min/week was associated with 0.35 odds of atherosclerosis in any vascular territory.
- No significant differences were found in atherosclerosis prevalence across moderate to vigorous PA groups.

## Abstract

Background: Physical activity (PA) intensity could play a key role in atherosclerosis risk, but the existing literature shows controversial results. The aim of this study was to analyze the association of different PA levels with the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis in femoral and carotid arteries. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of 449 middle-aged men belonging to the Aragon Workers’ Health Study. Demographic, anthropometric, and clinical data were obtained during the annual medical examination. Ultrasonography was used to assess the presence of atheroma plaques in femoral and carotid territories. Accelerometry was used to assess habitual PA. Participants were categorized into vigorous PA (VPA) groups (0 min/week, >0–60 min/week, >60 min/week), and into moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) groups using terciles as cut-offs. Results: Compared with participants who completed 0 min/week of VPA, those participants who completed >60 min/week of VPA had fully adjusted odds of subclinical atherosclerosis of 0.47 (95%CI: 0.22, 0.99, p < 0.05) and 0.35 (95%CI: 0.17, 0.73, p < 0.05) for femoral and any territory (femoral and/or carotid) respectively. No significant differences were observed in the prevalence of atheroma plaques in any vascular territory between the different MVPA groups. Conclusions: Performing more than 60 min/week of VPA is associated with reduced odds for subclinical atherosclerosis in femoral or any vascular territory in adult men.