Five Questions With: Xiaochen Lin

"Our study also passes an important message to health professionals and investigators to call for more research on those less traditional cardiometabolic biomarkers."

Xiaochen Lin is a doctoral student in the Brown University School of Public Health. She recently lead authored an article published in the Journal of the American Heart Association which examined the benefits of exercise among varied segments of the population. The study found that people under age 50 benefited more than people older than 50, and that people with type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure benefited more than people with neither condition.

PBN: Men benefitted more than women from exercise in your study sample. What are some possible reasons for that?
LIN:
Although the exact mechanisms underlying the gender difference may be difficult to discern at the population level and definitely need further investigation, there are several possible explanations. One explanation is that men on average have lower HDL-C levels (“good cholesterol”) and higher total triglycerides, and those who with less favorable biomarker profile may have more to gain.

PBN: How much exercise were most study participants getting?
LIN:
Physical activity has multiple dimensions, including frequency, duration, and intensity. The trials included in our meta-analysis have a wide range in terms of different dimensions. Based on our systematic review and meta-analysis, the median duration of the exercise interventions was 12 weeks, with a range from 2 weeks to 2 years. Most of the interventions were of moderate or moderate to vigorous intensity.

PBN: What was the single most surprising finding in the study?
LIN:
One surprising finding while conducting the meta-analysis is the fact that many cardiometabolic biomarkers are under-studied. Our comprehensive literature search, with more than 6000 articles to begin with, only gave a handful trials actually looking into specific biomarkers. While providing insight into the cardiometabolic benefits of exercise, our study also discovered a huge gap in current literature (also a target for future research) due to the lack of exercise interventions on novel biomarkers. Aside from all its clinical implications, our study also passes an important message to health professionals and investigators to call for more research on those less traditional cardiometabolic biomarkers.

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PBN: In layperson’s terms, how does exercise lower inflammation?
LIN:
White fat is a type of tissue that plays an important role in obesity genesis. Obesity has become widely regarded as a chronic pro-inflammatory status, and chronic inflammation in adipose tissues, especially in white fat tissue, may eventually lead to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. It has been found that exercise may reduce the white fat mass and regulate the expression of anti-inflammation factors, and therefore mitigate the chronic inflammation.

PBN: Should the results of the study give pause to anyone who is contemplating an exercise regimen to improve health?
LIN:
The results of our study actually supported the notion that exercise has favorable impacts on cardiometabolic health. However, we did find that the beneficial effects may be modified by some other factors, such as age, gender, and the status of metabolic disorders. Among specific subgroups of people, the effects of exercise may not be as substantial as among other subgroups, suggesting that exercise should be prescribed while taking account for those factors. For subgroups that may not gain the same amount of benefits, alternative lifestyle interventions could also be considered.

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