Different Relationship Between Physical Activity, Arterial Stiffness, and Metabolic Status in Obese Subjects

Background: Although the relationship between physical activity and arterial stiffness has been shown in healthy persons, it remains controversial in obese persons. Methods: From January 2014 to September 2014, we evaluated 795 obese subjects from 25 public health centers in Seoul, Korea. We compared physical activity and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) between obese subjects with metabolic syndrome (MetS) (MO) and obese subjects without MetS (NMO). Results: The MO group had more men, higher body mass index (BMI), higher fasting glucose level, lower high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level, and higher triglyceride level. The mean physical activity levels were similar between the 2 groups. baPWV was higher in the MO group than the NMO group. MO group showed positive correlation between baPWV and physical activity (P trend = 0.04). Interestingly, baPWV was significantly higher in the MO group than in the NMO group in subjects with moderate and vigorous physical activity (1403.4 cm/sec vs 1349 cm/sec [95% CI 21.4 to 87.4], P <.05). Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity was apparently associated with age, BMI, blood pressure, and glucose level. Conclusions: In a community-based population, baPWV was higher in obese MetS group compared with obese non-MetS group. Physical activity showed different association with baPWV depending on metabolic status.