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Physical activity patterns and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk in hunter-gatherers.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Raichlen, DA; Pontzer, H; Harris, JA; Mabulla, AZP; Marlowe, FW; Josh Snodgrass, J; Eick, G; Colette Berbesque, J; Sancilio, A; Wood, BM
Published in: American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council
March 2017

Time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is a strong predictor of cardiovascular health, yet few humans living in industrialized societies meet current recommendations (150 min/week). Researchers have long suggested that human physiological requirements for aerobic exercise reflect an evolutionary shift to a hunting and gathering foraging strategy, and a recent transition to more sedentary lifestyles likely represents a mismatch with our past in terms of physical activity. The goal of this study is to explore this mismatch by characterizing MVPA and cardiovascular health in the Hadza, a modern hunting and gathering population living in Northern Tanzania.We measured MVPA using continuous heart rate monitoring in 46 participants recruited from two Hadza camps. As part of a larger survey of health in the Hadza, we measured blood pressure (n = 198) and biomarkers of cardiovascular health (n = 23) including C-reactive protein, cholesterol (Total, HDL, and LDL), and triglycerides.We show that Hadza participants spend large amounts of time in MVPA (134.92 ± 8.6 min/day), and maintain these activity levels across the lifespan. In fact, the Hadza engage in over 14 times as much MVPA as subjects participating in large epidemiological studies in the United States. We found no evidence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in this population (low prevalence of hypertension across the lifespan, optimal levels for biomarkers of cardiovascular health).Our results provide evidence that the hunting and gathering foraging strategy involves high levels of MVPA, supporting the evolutionary medicine model for the relationship between MVPA and cardiovascular health.

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Published In

American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council

DOI

EISSN

1520-6300

ISSN

1042-0533

Publication Date

March 2017

Volume

29

Issue

2

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Tanzania
  • Risk
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Life Style
  • Hypertension
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Exercise
 

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Raichlen, D. A., Pontzer, H., Harris, J. A., Mabulla, A. Z. P., Marlowe, F. W., Josh Snodgrass, J., … Wood, B. M. (2017). Physical activity patterns and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk in hunter-gatherers. American Journal of Human Biology : The Official Journal of the Human Biology Council, 29(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.22919
Raichlen, David A., Herman Pontzer, Jacob A. Harris, Audax Z. P. Mabulla, Frank W. Marlowe, J. Josh Snodgrass, Geeta Eick, J. Colette Berbesque, Amelia Sancilio, and Brian M. Wood. “Physical activity patterns and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk in hunter-gatherers.American Journal of Human Biology : The Official Journal of the Human Biology Council 29, no. 2 (March 2017). https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.22919.
Raichlen DA, Pontzer H, Harris JA, Mabulla AZP, Marlowe FW, Josh Snodgrass J, et al. Physical activity patterns and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk in hunter-gatherers. American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council. 2017 Mar;29(2).
Raichlen, David A., et al. “Physical activity patterns and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk in hunter-gatherers.American Journal of Human Biology : The Official Journal of the Human Biology Council, vol. 29, no. 2, Mar. 2017. Epmc, doi:10.1002/ajhb.22919.
Raichlen DA, Pontzer H, Harris JA, Mabulla AZP, Marlowe FW, Josh Snodgrass J, Eick G, Colette Berbesque J, Sancilio A, Wood BM. Physical activity patterns and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk in hunter-gatherers. American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council. 2017 Mar;29(2).
Journal cover image

Published In

American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council

DOI

EISSN

1520-6300

ISSN

1042-0533

Publication Date

March 2017

Volume

29

Issue

2

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Tanzania
  • Risk
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Life Style
  • Hypertension
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Exercise