Background. Obesity and physical inactivity are associated with higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Objective. This study investigated the association between obesity and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) stratified by physical activity (PA) in Korean office workers. Methods. Data obtained from 914 office workers aged 21-60 years (347 women) were used. Resting blood pressures, body mass index (BMI), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were measured. PA was assessed using the international physical activity questionnaire. CIMT was assessed with a carotid artery ultrasonography. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of obesity stratified by weekly PA for an abnormally increased CIMT. Results. Logistic regression analyses showed that those who were overall obese (OR=2.50, 95% CI=1.60-3.91, P<0.001) or central obese (OR=2.08, 95% CI=1.29-3.40, P=0.003) had significantly higher estimated risks of having an abnormally increased CIMT even after adjustments for age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, resting blood pressures, and history of hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia, as compared with those who were not overall or central obese (OR=1). A multivariate linear regression suggested that age (P<0.001), sex (P=0.002), hypertension (P=0.014), smoking (P=0.054), BMI (P<0.001), and physical activity (P=0.011) were important determinants of abnormally elevated CIMT in this study population. Conclusion. The current findings suggest that the risk of obesity for an abnormally increased CIMT is significantly modulated by demographics as well as lifestyle-related risk factors including smoking and physical inactivity in Korean office workers.

Background: The association between physical activity (PA) and all-cause mortality may be modulated by potential confounders. Aim: To investigate the association between weekly PA and all-cause mortality in a population-based prospective study. Subjects and methods: The study sample included Korean older adults aged 60 years and older who participated in baseline assessments (n = 15 416) in 2008 and completed follow-up visits in 2011 (n = 14,976). Primary outcome was 3-year all-cause mortality. Results: Compared with sufficiently active individuals (with Hazard Ratio (HR) = 1), completely inactive and insufficiently active individuals had a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 2.086, 95% CI = 1.639–2.655, p < 0.00 and HR = 1.644, 95% CI = 1.013–2.668, p = 0.044, respectively), even after adjustments for age and sex, health-related behaviour factors (i.e. smoking, alcohol intake and nutritional risk), cognitive impairment and components of frailty phenotype (i.e. involuntary weight loss, exhaustion and slowness). In addition, the inverse association between PA and all-cause mortality is differently modulated by potential confounders, including age, sex, smoking, depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment and involuntary weight loss. Conclusion: PA was inversely and independently associated with all-cause mortality in Korean older adults.

Background: Uncertainty exists regarding the associations between physical activity (PA), relative handgrip strength (RHGS), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among elderly Korean cancer survivors. This study investigated the moderating effect of RHGS on the relationship between PA and HRQoL in 308 cancer survivors aged ≥65 years using the data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2014–2019. Methods: HRQoL was evaluated with the EuroQol-5-dimension instrument. PA and handgrip strength were assessed with the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and a hand dynamometer, respectively. Age, sex, body mass index, income, marital status, educational background, heavy alcohol consumption, smoking status, multimorbidity, and hemoglobin were included as covariates. Results: Bivariate logistic regression showed that insufficient PA and no PA were associated with higher odds of a low HRQoL (odds ratio, OR = 2.6, 95% confidence interval, CI = 1.3~5.1, p = 0.005; OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.1~5.0, p = 0.024, respectively), compared with sufficient PA (OR = 1). Weak RHGS was associated with high odds of a low HRQoL (OR = 2.6, 95%= 1.530~4.6, p < 0.001) compared with normal RHGS (OR = 1). Particularly, RHGS (β = −0.0573, 95% CI = −0.1033~−0.0112) had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between PA and HRQoL even after adjustments for all the covariates. The negative influence of physical inactivity on HRQoL was observed in cancer survivors with weak RHGS but not in cancer survivors with normal RHGS. Conclusions: The current findings suggest that maintaining or promoting muscular strength through regular exercise is critical for the HRQoL of elderly Korean cancer survivors.

Purpose: This study investigated whether the combined application of treadmill exercise and vitamin D injections exerts neuroprotective effects in nonpathological mice by enhancing cognitive function, regulating immune responses, preserving blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity, and improving mitochondrial efficiency.Methods: Forty male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to control, exercise (EX), vitamin D (VD), or combined treatment (EXVD) groups. After 20 weeks of intervention, behavioral, molecular, and cellular analyses were performed to assess cognitive function, immune responses, BBB integrity, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial efficiency.Results: The EXVD group demonstrated superior spatial learning and memory compared to the other groups. Vitamin D treatment significantly increased plasma interleukin-10 and tight junction protein levels, while exercise alone elevated hippocampal tumor necrosis factor-α. Combined treatment reduced astrocyte activation, maintained BBB integrity, and improved mitochondrial respiratory efficiency without increasing oxidative stress. Expression of antioxidant enzymes was decreased in the VD and EXVD groups, indicating improved redox balance.Conclusions: Treadmill exercise and vitamin D injections confer neuroprotective effects in nonpathological mice by enhancing cognition, reducing neuroinflammation, and improving both BBB integrity and mitochondrial function. These findings highlight the potential of nonpharmacological strategies to support brain health even in the absence of disease.

Background: To investigate the association between involuntary weight loss (IWL) and late-life depression (LLD) in a population-based cohort study. Methods: Data (N=6945) obtained from the 2008 baseline and 2011 follow-up assessments of the Living Profiles of Older People Survey in Korea were used. Changed body weight between the 2008 and 2011 was classified into stable weight (<-5% ~ <+5%), lightweight loss (≥-5% ~ <-10%), moderate weight loss (≥-10%), lightweight gain (+≥5 ~ <+10%), and moderate weight gain (≥+10%). Results: Compared to the stable weight group, the moderate weight loss group had a higher risk of LLD (odds ratio=1.99, 95% confidence interval=1.61-2.46, P<0.001) even after adjustments for covariates, including age, BMI, education, income, life of solitude, smoking, physical activity, dependent aging, comorbidity, and cognitive function. Conclusion: IWL is significantly associated with LLD in Korean older adults, implying the prognostic importance of IWL for presenting mental health issues later in life.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the mediating effects of relative handgrip strength (RHGS) on the association between multimorbidity and anemia in older Korean adults aged ≥65 years.METHODS: The data used in this study (6,900 older adults, 3,140 males, and 3,760 females) were obtained from the 2014-2019 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Anemia was assessed using the World Health Organization criteria of hemoglobin levels for anemia (<13 g/dL in males and <12 g/dL in females). Chronic multimorbidity was defined as the presence of two or more chronic conditions. RHGS was evaluated using a digital hand dynamometer. The PROCESS Macro by Hayes was used to test the mediating effects of RHGS on the association between multimorbidity and hemoglobin levels.RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression revealed that individuals with ≥2 chronic conditions had significantly higher odds of anemia (odds ratio [OR]=2.425; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.917-3.068), and those with weak RHGS had an elevated anemia risk (OR=1.562; 95% CI: 1.339–1.821). Mediation analysis indicated that RHGS partially mediated the relationship between multimorbidity and hemoglobin levels, accounting for 19.5% of the total effect (indirect effect β=-0.0331, 95% CI: -0.0401 to -0.0265).CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that improving or maintaining handgrip strength through regular exercise is important for mitigating the risk of anemia, which can be caused by multiple chronic conditions, later in life.