The following is a summary of “Can weekend warriors and other leisure-time physical activity patterns reduce the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP)? A cross-sectional analysis based on NHANES 2007-2018,” published in the March 2025 issue of Frontiers in Endocrinology by Niu et al. 

Modern lifestyle changes have raised concerns about physical activity’s (PAs) impact on cardiovascular health, with a sedentary lifestyle contributing to atherosclerosis and increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, as reflected by the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP).  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to investigate how different PA patterns influenced the AIP.  

They studied data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database from the United States. The PA was assessed using a questionnaire, classifying participants into 4 groups: inactive, insufficiently active, weekend warriors (WW), and regularly active (RA). The AIP was calculated using the ratio of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) to triglycerides (TG). Covariates, including age, sex, race, and body mass index, were controlled. Multivariate regression analysis was performed as the primary analytical method.  

The results showed that 24,504 participants were included. After adjusting for covariates, individuals with RA had a significant reduction in the AIP (β=-0.044, P<0.0001) compared to WW (β=0.01, P=0.65). Subgroup analysis and interaction tests indicated slight variations in the PA-AIP association based on education level (P for interaction=0.07) and marital status (P for interaction=0.09), though these differences were not statistically significant. Restricted cubic splines (RCS) analysis demonstrated a nonlinear negative correlation between total weekly PA and AIP among individuals who were inactive (P<0.001, nonlinearity P<0.001). A threshold of 510 minutes of total PA per week was identified, beyond which the decline in AIP slowed.  

Investigators concluded that resistance activity surpassed walking workouts in decreasing the AIP, and substantial PA significantly lowered it in adults who were inactive. 

Source: frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2025.1511888/full