The relationship between walking speed and changes in cardiovascular risk factors during a 12-day walking tour to Santiago de Compostela: a cohort study

Objectives Physical exercise has beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors. Knowledge about the effect of exercise intensity, specifically walking speed, on cardiovascular risk factors is limited. We report the relationship between walking speed and changes in cardiovascular risk factors in...

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Main Authors: Frank L J Visseren, Yolanda van der Graaf, Wilko Spiering, Remy H H Bemelmans, Paulus P Blommaert, Annemarie M J Wassink, Blai Coll
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2012-05-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/3/e000875.full
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author Frank L J Visseren
Yolanda van der Graaf
Wilko Spiering
Remy H H Bemelmans
Paulus P Blommaert
Annemarie M J Wassink
Blai Coll
author_facet Frank L J Visseren
Yolanda van der Graaf
Wilko Spiering
Remy H H Bemelmans
Paulus P Blommaert
Annemarie M J Wassink
Blai Coll
author_sort Frank L J Visseren
collection DOAJ
description Objectives Physical exercise has beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors. Knowledge about the effect of exercise intensity, specifically walking speed, on cardiovascular risk factors is limited. We report the relationship between walking speed and changes in cardiovascular risk factors in participants of a 12-day walking tour to Santiago de Compostela.Design Prospective cohort study.Setting Single-centre study with healthy middle-aged volunteers.Participants Healthy middle-aged men (n=15) and women (n=14). Subjects using lipid-lowering medication were excluded.Intervention Participants walked 281±10 km of the classical route to Santiago de Compostela in 12 days in 2009.Primary and secondary outcome measures Walking speed was recorded and blood pressure, weight, waist circumference, lipids and glucose were measured every other day. Changes in risk factors were compared between gender-pooled groups with faster and slower walking speed. Second, the relationship between walking speed and changes in risk factors was quantified using a linear mixed effects model.Results In the faster walking speed (4.6±0.2 km/h) group, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) increased more than in the slower walking speed (4.1±0.2 km/h) group (difference in change between groups: 0.20; 95% CI −0.02 to 0.42 mmol/l), while low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) and total cholesterol decreased more in the slower walking speed group (differences in changes between groups: LDL-c: −0.50; 95% CI −0.88 to −0.12 mmol/l and total cholesterol: −0.75; 95% CI −1.19 to −0.31 mmol/l). A 1 km/h higher walking speed was related to an increase in HDL-c (0.24; 95% CI 0.12 to 0.30 mmol/l), LDL-c (0.18; 95% CI −0.16 to 0.42 mmol/l) and total cholesterol (0.36; 95% CI 0.12 to 0.60 mmol/l), adjusted for age, gender, smoking, body mass index and heart rate, during the whole walking tour.Conclusions Walking the same distance faster improves HDL-c more, while LDL-c and total cholesterol decrease more with lower walking speed independent of changes in body weight in healthy middle-aged subjects.
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spelling doaj-art-d8b1e2a0154b4560b73abec6a72967dc2025-02-07T13:00:13ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552012-05-012310.1136/bmjopen-2012-000875The relationship between walking speed and changes in cardiovascular risk factors during a 12-day walking tour to Santiago de Compostela: a cohort studyFrank L J Visseren0Yolanda van der Graaf1Wilko Spiering2Remy H H Bemelmans3Paulus P Blommaert4Annemarie M J Wassink5Blai Coll6Department of Vascular Medicine, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The NetherlandsJulius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Vascular Medicine, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Internal Medicine, Ziekenhuis Gelderse Vallei, Ede, Gelderland, The NetherlandsDepartment of Vascular Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Vascular Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Nephrology, University of Lleida, Lleida, SpainObjectives Physical exercise has beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors. Knowledge about the effect of exercise intensity, specifically walking speed, on cardiovascular risk factors is limited. We report the relationship between walking speed and changes in cardiovascular risk factors in participants of a 12-day walking tour to Santiago de Compostela.Design Prospective cohort study.Setting Single-centre study with healthy middle-aged volunteers.Participants Healthy middle-aged men (n=15) and women (n=14). Subjects using lipid-lowering medication were excluded.Intervention Participants walked 281±10 km of the classical route to Santiago de Compostela in 12 days in 2009.Primary and secondary outcome measures Walking speed was recorded and blood pressure, weight, waist circumference, lipids and glucose were measured every other day. Changes in risk factors were compared between gender-pooled groups with faster and slower walking speed. Second, the relationship between walking speed and changes in risk factors was quantified using a linear mixed effects model.Results In the faster walking speed (4.6±0.2 km/h) group, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) increased more than in the slower walking speed (4.1±0.2 km/h) group (difference in change between groups: 0.20; 95% CI −0.02 to 0.42 mmol/l), while low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) and total cholesterol decreased more in the slower walking speed group (differences in changes between groups: LDL-c: −0.50; 95% CI −0.88 to −0.12 mmol/l and total cholesterol: −0.75; 95% CI −1.19 to −0.31 mmol/l). A 1 km/h higher walking speed was related to an increase in HDL-c (0.24; 95% CI 0.12 to 0.30 mmol/l), LDL-c (0.18; 95% CI −0.16 to 0.42 mmol/l) and total cholesterol (0.36; 95% CI 0.12 to 0.60 mmol/l), adjusted for age, gender, smoking, body mass index and heart rate, during the whole walking tour.Conclusions Walking the same distance faster improves HDL-c more, while LDL-c and total cholesterol decrease more with lower walking speed independent of changes in body weight in healthy middle-aged subjects.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/3/e000875.full
spellingShingle Frank L J Visseren
Yolanda van der Graaf
Wilko Spiering
Remy H H Bemelmans
Paulus P Blommaert
Annemarie M J Wassink
Blai Coll
The relationship between walking speed and changes in cardiovascular risk factors during a 12-day walking tour to Santiago de Compostela: a cohort study
BMJ Open
title The relationship between walking speed and changes in cardiovascular risk factors during a 12-day walking tour to Santiago de Compostela: a cohort study
title_full The relationship between walking speed and changes in cardiovascular risk factors during a 12-day walking tour to Santiago de Compostela: a cohort study
title_fullStr The relationship between walking speed and changes in cardiovascular risk factors during a 12-day walking tour to Santiago de Compostela: a cohort study
title_full_unstemmed The relationship between walking speed and changes in cardiovascular risk factors during a 12-day walking tour to Santiago de Compostela: a cohort study
title_short The relationship between walking speed and changes in cardiovascular risk factors during a 12-day walking tour to Santiago de Compostela: a cohort study
title_sort relationship between walking speed and changes in cardiovascular risk factors during a 12 day walking tour to santiago de compostela a cohort study
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/3/e000875.full
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