Biomedical subjects

R W Leung

Publications and source records attributed to R W Leung.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1994

Changes in physical activity and other lifeway patterns influencing longevity.

We studied the adoption or maintenance of physical activity and other optional lifeway patterns for their influence on mortality rates of Harvard College alumni. Men aged 45-84 in 1977, surveyed by questionnaire in 1962 or 1966 and again in 1977, were followed from 1977 through 1988 or to age 90. Of 14,786 alumni, 2,343 died in 165,402 man-years of follow-up. Relative risks of death, standardized for potential confounding influences, for men who between questionnaires increased their physical activity through walking, stair climbing, and sports or recreational activities to 1,500 kcal or more per wk were 0.72 (95% confidence interval 0.64-0.82), compared with 1.00 for men who remained less active. Corresponding relative risks for men who adopted moderately vigorous sports play (> or = 4.5 METs) were 0.73 (0.65-0.81) vs 1.00 for men not adopting such sports; and for cigarette smokers who quit, 0.74 (0.65-0.84) vs 1.00 for persistent smokers. Men with recently diagnosed hypertension had a lower death risk than long-term hypertensives (0.80; 0.70-0.92), as did men with consistent normotension (0.52; 0.47-0.58). Changes in body-mass index had little influence on mortality during follow-up. These findings fit the hypothesis that adopting a physically active lifeway, quitting cigarette smoking, and remaining normotensive independently delay all-cause mortality and extend longevity.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Physical activity and reduced occurrence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity is recommended by physicians to patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), because it increases sensitivity to insulin. Whether physical activity is effective in preventing this disease is not known. METHODS: We used questionnaires to examine patterns of physical activity and other personal characteristics in relation to the subsequent development of NIDDM in 5990 male alumni of the University of Pennsylvania. The disease developed in a total of 202 men during 98,524 man-years of follow-up from 1962 to 1976. RESULTS: Leisure-time physical activity, expressed in kilocalories expended per week in walking, stair climbing, and sports, was inversely related to the development of NIDDM: The incidence rates declined as energy expenditure increased from less than 500 kcal to 3500 kcal. For each 500-kcal increment in energy expenditure, the age-adjusted risk of NIDDM was reduced by 6 percent (relative risk, 0.94; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.90 to 0.98). This association remained the same when the data were adjusted for obesity, hypertension, and a parental history of diabetes. The association was weaker when we considered weight gain between the time of college attendance and 1962 (relative risk, 0.95; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.90 to 1.00). The protective effect of physical activity was strongest in persons at highest risk for NIDDM, defined as those with a high body-mass index, a history of hypertension, or a parental history of diabetes. These factors, in addition to weight gain since college, were also independent predictors of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: Increased physical activity is effective in preventing NIDDM, and the protective benefit is especially pronounced in persons at the highest risk for the disease.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Physical activity and hypertension: an epidemiological view.

We examined patterns of physical activity and other characteristics that might deter hypertension or delay all-cause mortality among university alumni, 1962-1985. Collegiate sports play did not alter hypertension incidence, nor did contemporary walking, stair-climbing, or light sports play among 5463 University of Pennsylvania alumni, 739 of whom developed hypertension. But vigorous sports play reduced hypertension incidence; and overweight, gain in weight, history of parental hypertension, or any combination of these, increased it. Among 819 hypertensive Pennsylvania alumni (138 died during follow-up), vigorous sports play had minimal influence on mortality; but freedom from overweight and cigarette smoking deferred death. Among 16,936 Harvard College alumni, of whom 2614 died during follow-up, lack of vigorous sports play, or presence of hypertension, cigarette smoking, and overweight increased risk of premature mortality, heightened by any combination of these adverse characteristics. Overall, we found an inverse relationship between vigorous sports participation and hypertension risk but a direct relationship between risk and weight-for-height, weight gain, or parental hypertension. With regard to all-cause mortality, cigarette smoking and hypertension were most hazardous for the individual; smoking and lack of vigorous recreational play were most hazardous for the alumnus population as a whole.

Adult↗