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Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines is Associated with Lower Allostatic Load and Inflammation in Mexican Americans

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Abstract

Examine the relationship between physical activity (PA) and allostatic load in Mexican-Americans as well as variations by gender. Self-reported PA as well as cardiovascular, metabolic and inflammatory markers were assessed in 330 Mexican-American adults in the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort (Brownsville, TX, USA). Dependent variables included total allostatic load, blood pressure, metabolic, and inflammatory scores. PA participation was categorized as sedentary, low, moderate, high, and by whether activity was sufficient to meet public health guidelines. Logistic regression analyses were conducted using cross-sectional data, and tested interaction effects of gender and PA. High active participants had lower allostatic load and inflammatory risk than sedentary participants. These relationships held for meeting versus not meeting guidelines. Males meeting guidelines were less likely to have high inflammation than other groups. The data did not suggest a dose–response association. These findings indicate that PA may reduce accumulation of allostatic load, highlighting the importance of a physically active lifestyle across the life span.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIH 1 P20 MD002283-01) and Clinical Translational Science Award Grant Number 5UL1RR024148 from the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, 330 River Road, 311 Ramsey Center, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Jennifer L. Gay

  2. Division of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas School of Public Health, Brownsville, TX, USA

    Jennifer J. Salinas, Shaper Mirza, Susan P. Fisher-Hoch & Joseph B. McCormick

  3. Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois College of Applied Health Sciences, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA

    David M. Buchner

  4. Division of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas School of Public Health, Austin, TX, USA

    Harold W. Kohl III

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  1. Jennifer L. Gay
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  2. Jennifer J. Salinas
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  3. David M. Buchner
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  4. Shaper Mirza
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  5. Harold W. Kohl III
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  6. Susan P. Fisher-Hoch
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  7. Joseph B. McCormick
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Correspondence to Jennifer L. Gay.

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Gay, J.L., Salinas, J.J., Buchner, D.M. et al. Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines is Associated with Lower Allostatic Load and Inflammation in Mexican Americans. J Immigrant Minority Health 17, 574–581 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9950-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9950-1

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