title: Low-volume walking program improves cardiovascular-related health in older adults.
abstract: Although numerous sources of evidence show that regular physical activity is beneficial to health, most individuals do not engage in a sufficient amount of physical activity to meet the guidelines set out by expert panels. In addition, the minimum amount of physical activity associated with reduced cardiovascular disease risk markers is not clear in older adults. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a 12-week walking program involving an exercise volume below the current minimum physical activity recommendation on cardiovascular disease risk markers in older adults. The participants were recruited from the following two groups separately: a walking group (n = 14) and a control group (n = 14). In the walking group, participants walked 30 to 60 minutes per session on 2 days per week for 12 weeks (average walking time, 49.4 ± 8.8 min/session). Plasma oxidised low-density lipoprotein concentrations tended to be lower than baseline values in the walking group after 12 weeks (paired t-test, p = 0.127). The ratio of oxidised low-density lipoprotein to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly lower than the baseline ratio in the walking group after 12 weeks (paired t-test, p = 0.035). Resting systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were significantly lower than baseline values in the walking group after 12 weeks (paired t-tests, p = 0.002, p < 0.0005, respectively). Our findings demonstrate that a 12-week walking program comprising a low volume of physical activity confers a benefit to cardiovascular-related health in older adults. Key PointsIt is important to consider baseline physical activity levels when evaluating physical activity program.Being physically active is important to reduce the potential risk marker of cardiovascular disease in older adults.These data imply that a small volume of 12-week walking program confers a benefit to cardiovascular-related health in older adults.
authors.affiliation: College of Sport Sciences, Dong-A University , Busan, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jong-Hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Education, Tokyo Gakugei University , Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyashita
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University , Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Sports Science and Medicine, Juntendo University , Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kawanishi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Promotional Sciences, Tokoha University , Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Harumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hayashida
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Physical Education, Sendai University , Miyagi, Japan.
authors.forename: Hyun-Shik
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University , Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University , Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakamura
keywords: blood pressure; exercise; lipid metabolism; older adults; oxidised low-density lipoprotein