Accelerometer-Determined Steps/Day and Metabolic Syndrome

Background: There is a lack of knowledge about the relationship between objectively measured physical activity and the odds of having metabolic syndrome (MetS) and cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors. Purpose: This study aims to investigate associations between accelerometer-determined steps/day and the odds of having MetS and its individual CVD risk factors in the U.S. population. Methods: Adults in 2005-2006 NHANES with accelerometer-determined steps/day and measurements necessary to determine MetS by AHA/NHLBI were included (n = 1446, 48.2% men, 33.5% with MetS, mean age=47.5 years, mean BMI=28.7 kg/m(2)). Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of having MetS or abnormal CVD risk factors from incrementally higher levels of steps/day. Results: MetS prevalence decreased as steps/day increased (p<0.0001), with 55.7% of participants in the lowest categoric level of steps/day and 13.3% in the highest level having MetS. The odds of having MetS were 10% lower for each additional 1000 steps/day (OR=0.90, 95% CI = 0.86, 0.93). The likelihood of having MetS was OR= 0.28 (95% C10.18, 0.44) for active to highly active and 0.60 (0.43, 0.82) for low to somewhat-active compared to sedentary adults (p<0.0001). Adults who took more steps/day tended to have lower waist circumference, higher high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level, and lower levels of triglycerides. Conclusions: Adults who maintain an active lifestyle by accumulating more steps are likely to have a lower prevalence of MetS and its individual CVD risk factors. Although other concomitant lifestyle behaviors may influence this lower prevalence, the evidence presented here on steps/day and metabolic syndrome, and elsewhere on physical activity and other health and disease states, suggest that it is a fundamental component of daily living. (Am J Prey Med 2010;38(6):575-582) (C) 2010 American Journal of Preventive Medicine