Research

Mixed

Long-term persistent leisure-time physical activity is associated with a serum metabolome profile indicating reduced cardiometabolic disease risk, including lower levels of isoleucine, alpha1-acid glycoprotein, glucose, and very-low-density lipoprotein, and higher levels of large/high-density lipoprotein particles.

Maintaining a consistent level of leisure-time physical activity over many years is associated with a healthier metabolic profile, including better lipid management and lower markers of inflammation and diabetes risk. Focus on consistency rather than intensity; even moderate activity sustained over decades yields significant metabolic benefits compared to inactivity.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Persistent physical activity was associated with the multivariate metabolic profile in the twins (P=0.003)... Isoleucine, α1-acid glycoprotein, and glucose were lower in the physically active than in the inactive individuals (P<0.001 in meta-analysis); serum fatty acid composition was shifted toward a less saturated profile; and lipoprotein subclasses were shifted toward lower very-low-density lipoprotein (P<0.001) and higher large and very large high-density lipoprotein (P<0.001) particle concentrations.
Urho M. Kujala et al. · Circulation · 2012

Why this rating

High-quality observational evidence using twin pairs and multiple population cohorts with rigorous statistical adjustment, though not a randomized controlled trial.

Source

Long-term Leisure-time Physical Activity and Serum Metabolome

Urho M. Kujala et al. · Circulation · 2012

DOI 10.1161/circulationaha.112.105551

cohort · n=2090Cited 244×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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