Effects of increasing light versus moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on cardiometabolic health in Chinese adults with obesity

ABSTRACTIncreasing daily physical activity (PA) is a practical way to decrease the risk of cardiometabolic diseases, while the studies on exercise intensity remain limited. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of increasing light PA (LPA) or moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) for 12 weeks on cardiometabolic markers in Chinese adults with obesity. Fifty-three adults were randomly assigned to the 1) control group, 2) LPA group, and 3) MVPA group in free-living settings. The intervention effects on body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and cardiometabolic biomarkers were analysed using a generalized estimated equation model adjusted for baseline values and potential confounders. Compared with the control group, the MVPA group showed improvements in body composition, lipids, C-peptide, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), interleukin-8, leptin, and E-selectin. A favourable change in triglycerides and E-selectin were observed in the LPA group when compared to the control group. Lastly, improvements in waist circumference, C-reactive protein, and MCP-1 were observed in the MVPA group when compared to those in the LPA group. Although increasing both LPA and MVPA improved certain cardiometabolic biomarkers, the latter may have more benefits. These findings imply that MVPA may reduce cardiometabolic disease risk more effectively than LPA, especially in Chinese adults with obesity.KEYWORDS: Exercisebiomarkersendothelial functioncardiovascular disease AcknowledgmentsWe thank all participants for their contributions during the experiment. All datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Data availability statementThe data analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.Supplementary materialSupplemental data for this article can be accessed online https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2023.2282278.Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [81922078] and University Grants Committee [24122318, 14109519].