Simple advice on lifestyle habits and long-term changes in biomarkers of inflammation and vascular adhesion in healthy middle-aged men

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Lifestyle habits, vascular function and inflammation are components in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We investigated whether simple advice on dietary and exercise habits given (at a single time point) to hypercholesterolemic men affects circulating biomarkers of inflammation and vascular adhesion. Subjects/Methods: In total, 157 men (age 46±5 years) with mild hypercholesterolemia were randomized to four intervention groups, diet (D, n ¼ 40), exercise (E, n ¼ 39), diet and exercise (DE, n ¼ 39) or controls (C, n ¼ 39) and serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1) and soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin) were quantified at baseline and after a 6-month intervention period. Results: The intervention applied in this study, that is, simple advice on lifestyle changes given at a single time point, had a modest effect on inflammatory biomarkers and soluble vascular adhesion molecules. The most apparent alterations were found for individuals in group DE, who responded with significant reductions in sICAM-1, À28 (À41 to À14 mg/l) and sE-selectin, À3.6 (À6.9 to À0.3 mg/l) after 6 months. None of the groups had altered their concentrations of sVCAM-1, CRP or IL-6 significantly after the intervention. In all individuals combined, we found changes in apolipoprotein B (apoB) to predict alterations in sICAM-1 (b ¼ 0.21) and sE-selectin (b ¼ 0.26), independently of changes in inflammation and other adhesion molecules. Conclusions: These observations indicate that even small efforts to improve diet and physical activity can influence biomarkers of vascular function in individuals at increased risk for CVD. ApoB was identified as an important determinant of this improvement, which adds further support to the notion of apoB as a critical target in cardiovascular prevention.

Aerobic Exercise and Weight Loss Reduce Vascular Markers of Inflammation and Improve Insulin Sensitivity in Obese Women

“…Our results are consistent with reports that WL doesn’t change sICAM-1 or sVCAM-1 in middle-aged obese men and women 15 or hypercholesterolemic men 16 . There were no changes in these biomarkers either after 8-, 10- or 12-week aerobic exercise in obese subjects or those with type 2 diabetes 17, 18, 50 or endurance+strength training in men with the metabolic syndrome 19 or in our AEX+WL.…”

Circulating Soluble Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1 and Subclinical Atherosclerosis: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study

“…ICAM-1 is expressed on the surface of endothelial cells in response to tissue damage and inflammation 1 , and possibly additional environmental factors 27–28 . It facilitates the capture and movement of monocytes and leukocytes into the subendothelial space of blood vessels 1, 29–30 .…”

State of the art paper Impact of physical activity on inflammation: effects on cardiovascular disease risk and other inflammatory conditions

“…For instance, the PREPARE (Pre-diabetes Risk Education and Physical Activity Recommendation and Encouragement) programme randomized trial did not reveal anti-inflammatory effects of ambulation [84]. In another recent study, physical exercise per se did not have any benefit regarding sVCAM, sICAM or IL-6, but when combined with diet, exercise caused significant reductions in sICAM and sE-selectin [85]. In elderly patients, 12-month moderate intensity PA significantly lowered IF-8 levels, but no effect was observed on other inflammatory markers such as TNF-α or soluble receptors of IL-1 or 6 [86].…”