Elsevier

Mayo Clinic Proceedings

Volume 88, Issue 9, September 2013, Pages 942-951
Mayo Clinic Proceedings

Original article
Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Inflammatory Markers Among US Adults With Diabetes: Implications for Attenuating Disease Progression

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2013.05.015Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

To examine the association between objectively measured physical activity and markers of inflammation (ie, white blood cell count, neutrophil count, and C-reactive protein level) among a national sample of adults with diabetes.

Patients and Methods

Data from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cycles were used. The data were evaluated from November 25, 2012, to May 3, 2013. Participants wore an accelerometer for 4 days or longer to assess physical activity, with blood samples obtained to assess the aforementioned inflammatory markers.

Results

Accelerometer-derived light physical activity and moderate to vigorous physical activity were inversely associated with white blood cell and neutrophil counts, whereas time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity was inversely associated with C-reactive protein levels.

Conclusion

Adults with diabetes engaging in more physical activity have lower degrees of inflammation, suggesting that physical activity may reduce disease progression through mitigating inflammation, which is an important finding because increased inflammation among those with diabetes can worsen disease progression, including diabetic end-organ damage.

Section snippets

Design and Participants

Data from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was used, with details on the study design found elsewhere.29 The NHANES is conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, and all procedures for data collection were approved by the National Center for Health Statistics ethics review board. All participants provided written informed consent before data collection. Information from NHANES participants is collected from infants to adults up to 85 years of

Results

Demographic characteristics of the analytic sample are listed in Table 1. Participants were then divided into quartiles on the basis of the level of daily time spent in either light or moderate to vigorous physical activity. Adjusted mean WBC, neutrophil, and CRP values were then compared across the quartiles generated on the basis of physical activity (Table 2). The WBC and neutrophil counts across quartiles were adjusted for age, sex, BMI, race/ethnicity, educational level, CRP level,

Discussion

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between physical activity and WBC, neutrophil, and CRP values among a nationally representative sample of adults with evidence of diabetes. Time spent in either light or moderate to vigorous physical activity was inversely associated with WBC and neutrophil counts, whereas time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity was inversely associated with CRP levels.

Soinio et al24 reported that among 1045 participants with type 2 diabetes,

Conclusion

Objectively measured physical activity was inversely associated with inflammatory markers, including WBC counts, neutrophil counts, and CRP levels, among this national sample of adults with evidence of diabetes. Strengths of this study include its novelty, use of an objective measure of physical activity, and use of a national sample. However, the cross-sectional design does not allow for causation to be rendered. Future prospective studies are necessary to determine whether interventions

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