Additional file 1: Table S1. of Physical activity, body mass index and heart rate variability-based stress and recovery in 16 275 Finnish employees: a cross-sectional study

Detection of heart rate variability-based stress and recovery. (DOCX 21 kb)

Additional file 2: Table S2. of Physical activity, body mass index and heart rate variability-based stress and recovery in 16 275 Finnish employees: a cross-sectional study

Characteristics (mean ± SD) of the measures derived from beat-to-beat R-R interval recording, by physical activity groups. Table S3. Characteristics (mean ± SD) of the measures derived from beat-to-beat R-R interval recording, by body mass index groups. Table S4. Characteristics (mean ± SD) of the measures derived from beat-to-beat R-R interval recording, by age groups. (DOCX 31 kb)

Factors associated with body size perception among adolescent goal-oriented sports participants and non-participants : a cross-sectional Finnish study

Abstract Background Regardless of competitive athletes’ body image pressures, only few studies have focused on adolescent sport participants’ body image and the findings are inconclusive. Furthermore, the role of competitive goals in sports on adolescents’ body size perception has not been studied. We examined the factors associated with adolescents’ competitive goals in sports and body size perception, and the associations between adolescents’ competitive goals in sports and body size perception. Methods The cross-sectional study consisted of 475 goal-oriented sports club participants and 936 reference youths (aged 14–16 years). The study questionnaire included multiple choice items on hea…

Bone and cartilage characteristics in postmenopausal women with mild knee radiographic osteoarthritis and those without radiographic osteoarthritis

Objectives: To evaluate the association between radiographically-assessed knee osteoarthritis and femoral neck bone characteristics in women with mild knee radiographic osteoarthritis and those without radiographic osteoarthritis. Methods: Ninety postmenopausal women (mean age [SD], 58 [4] years; height, 163 [6] cm; weight, 71 [11] kg) participated in this cross-sectional study. The severity of radiographic knee osteoarthritis was defined using Kellgren-Lawrence grades 0=normal (n=12), 1=doubtful (n=25) or 2=minimal (n=53). Femoral neck bone mineral content (BMC), section modulus (Z), and cross-sectional area (CSA) were measured with DXA. The biochemical composition of ipsilateral knee cart…

Reproducibility of pulse wave velocity and augmentation index derived from non-invasive occlusive oscillometric tonometry analysis in adolescents

The aim of this study was to investigate the short‐term reproducibility of aortic pulse wave velocity (PWVao) and augmentation index (AIx%) assessed by the non‐invasive oscillometric device. Altogether of 55 (19 boys, 36 girls) adolescents 16–19‐years‐of‐age participated in the study. PWVao and AIx% were measured during the same laboratory visit at 2 min intervals using the Arteriograph™ device. Peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2peak) was assessed by the maximal exercise test on a cycle ergometer and body fat percentage by bioelectrical impedance analysis. We studied reproducibility using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), coefficient variation with the root‐means‐square method expressed as p…

Objectively measured physical activity, body composition and physical fitness : Cross-sectional associations in 9- to 15-year-old children

The aim of this study was to examine and quantify the cross-sectional associations of body composition (BC), physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) with physical fitness (PF) in children and adolescents. A sample of 594 Finnish students (56% girls), aged 9–15 (12.4 ± 1.3 years) were selected for a study performed in 2013. The measurements of the Move! monitoring system for physical functional capacity were used to measure cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal fitness and fundamental movement skills. Moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and ST were measured objectively with an accelerometer and BC by a bioelectrical impedance analysis. Fat mass index (FMI) and fat-free mass index (FFMI) we…

Additional file 4: Figure S1. of Physical activity, body mass index and heart rate variability-based stress and recovery in 16 275 Finnish employees: a cross-sectional study

An example (1 of the 3 days) of the feedback from the wellbeing assessment of the participants. (PDF 262 kb)

Is physical activity a cause of longevity? It is not as straightforward as some would believe : A critical analysis

There are discrepant findings between (A) observational follow-ups and (B) interventional studies that investigate possible causal association between high physical activity and low mortality. Participation in vigorous physical activity at a specific time-point is an indicator of good fitness and health, and is associated with a reduced risk of death. However, neither randomised controlled trials nor experimental animal studies have provided conclusive evidence to show that physical activity started during adulthood extends lifespan. Consequently, the undisputed health-related benefits of exercise have yet to translate into any proven causal relationship with longevity. Physical activity im…

Persistence or Change in Leisure-Time Physical Activity Habits and Waist Gain During Early Adulthood: A Twin-Study

Objective To determine the relationship between persistence or change in leisure‐time physical activity habits and waist gain among young adults. Methods Population‐based cohort study among 3383 Finnish twin individuals (1578 men) from five birth cohorts (1975‐1979), who answered questionnaires at mean ages of 24.4 y (SD 0.9) and 33.9 y (SD 1.2), with reported self‐measured waist circumference. Persistence or change in leisure‐time physical activity habits was defined based on thirds of activity metabolic equivalent h/day during follow‐up (mean 9.5 y; SD 0.7). Results Decreased activity was linked to greater waist gain compared to increased activity (3.6 cm, P < 0.001 for men; 3.1 cm, P < 0…

Knee arthroplasty until age 60 : role of sports and other injuries

BACKROUND: The primary aim of the study was to investigate how total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients with underlying injuries differ in injury type and physical activity after the arthroplasty. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to TKA patients, < 60 years at surgery, and knee injury as the cause of knee OA. The final study group consisted of 70 patients. RESULTS: Average age of patients at TKA was 51.8 years (Standard Deviation [SD] 5.2), and at follow-up 57.6 years (SD 6.5). Of the injuries, 26% were sports-related, 29% had occurred at work, 23% in traffic accidents, and 13% during leisure-time (no sports-related). Sports-related injuries had occurred at younger ages than others had (mean…

Six-Week Endurance Exercise Alters Gut Metagenome That Is not Reflected in Systemic Metabolism in Over-weight Women

Recent studies suggest that exercise alters the gut microbiome. We determined whether six-weeks endurance exercise, without changing diet, affected the gut metagenome and systemic metabolites of overweight women. Previously sedentary overweight women (n = 19) underwent a six-weeks endurance exercise intervention, but two were excluded due to antibiotic therapy. The gut microbiota composition and functions were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and metagenomics. Body composition was analyzed with DXA X-ray densitometer and serum metabolomics with NMR metabolomics. Total energy and energy-yielding nutrient intakes were analyzed from food records using Micro-Nutrica software. Serum…

Liikemittarilla mitatun kevyen fyysisen aktiivisuuden ja paikallaanoloajan yhteys itseraportoituihin liikkumisvaikeuksiin suomalaisilla kaksosilla

Global gene expression profiles in skeletal muscle of monozygotic female twins discordant for hormone replacement therapy

Aging is accompanied by inexorable loss of muscle tissue. One of the underlying causes for this is the massive change in the hormonal milieu of the body. The role of a female sex steroid – estrogen – in these processes is frequently neglected, although the rapid decline in its production coincides with a steep deterioration in muscle performance. We recruited 54- to 62-year-old monozygotic female twin pairs discordant for postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT, n = 11 pairs; HRT use 7.3 ± 3.7 years) from the Finnish Twin Cohort to investigate the association of long-term, estrogen-based HRT with skeletal muscle transcriptome. Pathway analysis of muscle transcript profiles revealed …

Leisure-time physical activity and DNA methylation age : a twin study

Background: Epigenetic clocks may increase our understanding on human aging and how genetic and environmental factors regulate an individual aging process. One of the most promising clocks is Horvath’s DNA methylation (DNAm) age. Age acceleration, i.e., discrepancy between DNAm age and chronological age, tells us whether the person is biologically young or old compared to his/her chronological age. Several environmental and lifestyle factors have been shown to affect life span. We investigated genetic and environmental predictors of DNAm age in young and older monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins with a focus on leisure time physical activity. Results: Quantitative genetic modeling rev…

Long-term physical activity modifies automatic visual processing

Electrophysiologically registered visual mismatch negativity (vMMN) is known to represent automatic visual processing in human visual cortex. Since physical activity (PA) is generally beneficial to cerebrovascular function, we wanted to find out if automatic visual processing is affected by PA. We investigated the connection between long-term leisure-time PA and precognitive visual processing in 32 healthy young males. Participants were divided into active (n = 16) and inactive (n = 16) group according to their leisure-time PA records from the past three years. vMMN was recorded with electroencephalogram using passive oddball paradigm with visual bars. Standard (90%) and deviant (10%) stimu…

Additional file 1 of Factors associated with body size perception among adolescent goal-oriented sports participants and non-participants: a cross-sectional Finnish study

Additional file 1: Supplementary Table 1. Motives to exercise by competitive goals in sports. Supplementary Table 2. Motives to exercise by body size perception.

Effects of a progressive aquatic resistance exercise program on the biomechanical composition and morphology of cartilage in women with mild knee osteoarthritis: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background. Symptoms associated with osteoarthritis of the knee result in decreased function, loss of working capacity and extensive social and medical costs. There is a need to investigate and develop effective interventions to minimise the impact of and even prevent the progression of osteoarthritis. Aquatic exercise has been shown to be effective at reducing the impact of osteoarthritis. The purpose of this article is to describe the rationale, design and intervention of a study investigating the effect of an aquatic resistance exercise intervention on cartilage in postmenopausal women with mild knee osteoarthritis. Methods. A minimum of 80 volunteers who meet the inclusion criteria will…

Vauhtia elinvuosiin liikunnalla : entä lisää elinvuosia?

Havainnoivien seurantatutkimusten mukaan runsas vapaa-ajan liikunnanharrastus on yhteydessä alempaan ennenaikaisen kuoleman riskiin. Syy-seuraus -suhdetta ei kuitenkaan ole pystytty varmistamaan satunnaistetuissa kontrolloiduissa interventiotutkimuksissa. Monia muita terveyshyötyjä – kuten vaikutukset fyysiseen suorituskykyyn ja kehon koostumukseen – on näin pystytty varmistamaan. Niitä kannattaakin käyttää perusteena mieluummin kuin mahdollista vaikutusta eliniän pituuteen, kun liikuntaa markkinoidaan terveyshyödyillä. nonPeerReviewed

Effect of physical activity councelling on disability in older people: A 2-year randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of a physical activity counseling intervention on instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) disability. DESIGN: Primary care–based, single-blind, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: City of Jyväskylä, central Finland. PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred thirty-two people aged 75 to 81 who were able to walk 500 meters without assistance, were at most moderately physically active, had a Mini-Mental State Examination score greater than 21, had no medical contraindications for physical activity, and gave informed consent for participation. INTERVENTION: A single individualized physical activity counseling session with supportive phone calls from a physiotherapist ever…

Effect of physical activity counseling on home care use in older people

Influence of long-term postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy on estimated structural bone strength: A study in discordant monozygotic twins.

Although postmenopausal hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) is known to prevent fractures, knowledge on the influence of long-term HRT on bone strength and its determinants other than areal bone mineral density is scarce. This study used a genetically controlled design with 24 monozygotic female twin pairs aged 54 to 72 years in which one cotwin was using HRT (mean duration 8 years) and the other had never used HRT. Estimated bone strength, cross-sectional area, volumetric bone mineral density, bone mineral mass, and cross-sectional density and mass distributions were assessed in the tibial shaft, distal tibia, and distal radius with peripheral computed tomography (pQCT). In the tibial shaft,…

Effects of Long-Term Physical Activity and BCAA Availability on the Subcellular Associations between Intramyocellular Lipids, Perilipins and PGC-1&alpha;

Cellular skeletal muscle lipid metabolism is of paramount importance for metabolic health, specifically through its connection to branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) metabolism and through its modulation by exercise. In this study, we aimed at better understanding intramyocellular lipids (IMCL) and their related key proteins in response to physical activity and BCAA deprivation. By means of confocal microscopy, we examined IMCL and the lipid droplet coating proteins PLIN2 and PLIN5 in human twin pairs discordant for physical activity. Additionally, in order to study IMCLs, PLINs and their association to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α) in cytosolic…

Reproducibility of regional DEXA examinations of abdominal fat and lean tissue.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop and test the validity of a new repeatable method to delimit abdominal areas for follow-up of fat mass (FM) and lean tissue mass (LM) in DEXA examinations . Methods: 37 male volunteers underwent two DEXA examinations. Total body FM and LM measurements and corresponding abdominal measurements in a carefully defined region were calculated from the first scan. After repositioning of the subjects and a second scan, the delimited region was copied and the abdominal tissues re-calculated. Results: The mean LM of the abdominal area was 2.804 kg (SD 0.556), and the mean FM was 1.026 kg (SD 0.537). The intra-class correlation coefficient for the repeate…

Sopivaa liikuntaa sopiville ihmisille

Additional file 3: Table S5. of Physical activity, body mass index and heart rate variability-based stress and recovery in 16 275 Finnish employees: a cross-sectional study

The number of participants by age, physical activity and body mass index groups. (DOCX 21 kb)

Liikunta tuki- ja liikuntaelinsairauksien hoidossa ja kuntoutuksessa

Tuki- ja liikuntaelimistön sairaudet voivat rajoittaa liikkumista. Näin niistä voi seurata myös kehon koostumuksen muutoksia ja metabolisia häiriöitä. Yksilöllisesti suunnitelluilla liikuntahoidoilla voidaan usein vähentää kipuja sekä parantaa potilaiden fyysistä suorituskykyä, toimintakykyä ja elämänlaatua. Meta-analyyseissä hyötyjä on todettu mm. potilailla, joilla on nivelrikko, nivelreuma, krooninen alaselkäkipu, niskakipu tai fibromyalgia. Musculoskeletal diseases may restrict physical activity and lead to changes in body composition and to metabolic disturbances. Individually tailored exercise therapy improves physical function, prevents disability and reduces pain. Individually tailo…

COVID-19 : uusi haaste myös urheilijoille

COVID-19 on ollut toistaiseksi harvinainen sairaus nuorten urheilijoiden ikäryhmässä ja oireet ovat yleensä lievät. Se kannattaa kuitenkin diagnosoida, sillä tauti voi heikentää pitkään urheilijan suorituskykyä. COVID-19 -infektio voi myös levitä urheilutapahtumien yhteydessä. nonPeerReviewed

Design and protocol of Estrogenic Regulation of Muscle Apoptosis (ERMA) study with 47 to 55-year-old women's cohort : novel results show menopause-related differences in blood count

Objective: The multidisciplinary Estrogenic Regulation of Muscle Apoptosis (ERMA) study was designed to reveal how hormonal differences over the menopausal stages affect the physiological and psychological functioning of middle-aged women. This paper describes the protocol and nonrespondent analysis of ERMA and novel findings on menopausal differences in blood count variables and their association with female sex hormones. Methods: Women aged 47 to 55 years were assigned to pre, early peri, late peri, and postmenopausal groups based on follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and bleeding diary. Multivariate linear regression models were constructed to estimate the association of 17b-estradiol (E…

Peak oxygen uptake, ventilatory threshold, and arterial stiffness in adolescents

Purpose To investigate the associations of peak oxygen uptake (V̇ O2peak) and V̇ O2 at ventilatory threshold (V̇ O2 at VT) with arterial stiffness in adolescents. Methods The participants were 55 adolescents (36 girls, 19 boys) aged 16–19 years. Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWVao) and augmentation index (AIx%) were measured by non-invasive oscillometric device from right brachial artery level. V̇ O2peak was directly measured during a maximal ramp test on a cycle ergometer. V̇ O2 at VT was determined using the equivalents for ventilation (V̇ E/V̇ CO2 and V̇ E/V̇ O2). V̇ O2peak and V̇ O2 at VT were normalised for body mass (BM) and lean mass (LM). Data were analysed using linear regression ana…

Hormone replacement therapy enhances IGF-1 signaling in skeletal muscle by diminishing miR-182 and miR-233 expressions: A study on postmenopausal monozygotic twin pairs

MiRNAs are fine-tuning modifiers of skeletal muscle regulation, but knowledge of their hormonal control is lacking. We used a co-twin case–control study design, that is, monozygotic postmenopausal twin pairs discordant for estrogen-based hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to explore estrogen-dependent skeletal muscle regulation via miRNAs. MiRNA profiles were determined from vastus lateralis muscle of nine healthy 54–62- years-old monozygotic female twin pairs discordant for HRT (median 7 years). MCF-7 cells, human myoblast cultures and mouse muscle experiments were used to confirm estrogen’s causal role on the expression of specific miRNAs, their target mRNAs and proteins and finally the ac…

Physical Activity : Absolute Intensity vs. Relative-to-Fitness-Level Volumes

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate in a real-life setting how moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity (PA) volumes differ according to absolute intensity recommendation and relative to individual fitness level by sex, age, and body mass index. Methods: A total of 23,224 Finnish employees (10,201 men and 13,023 women; ages 18–65 yr; body mass index = 18.5–40.0 kg·m−2) participated in heart rate recording for 2+ d. We used heart rate and its variability, respiration rate, and on/off response information from R-R interval data calibrated by participant characteristics to objectively determine daily PA volume, as follows: daily minutes of absolute moderate (3–<6 METs) and vigor…

Muscle fiber-type distribution predicts weight gain and unfavourable left ventricular geometry: a 19 year follow-up study

BACKGROUND: Skeletal muscle consists of type-I (slow-twitch) and type-II (fast-twitch) fibers, with proportions highly variable between individuals and mostly determined by genetic factors. Cross-sectional studies have associated low percentage of type-I fibers (type-I%) with many cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: We investigated whether baseline type-I% predicts left ventricular (LV) structure and function at 19-year follow-up, and if so, which are the strongest mediating factors. At baseline in 1984 muscle fiber-type distribution (by actomyosin ATPase staining) was studied in 63 healthy men (aged 32–58 years). The follow-up in 2003 included echocardiography, measurement of obesity rel…