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Introduction: A positive association between physical activity and cognition has been reported. However, very few pertinent studies have evaluated physical activity by objective measures. Hypothesis: In a community-based sample of non-demented men, objectively measured step count was positively associated with higher cognitive function. Methods: The Shiga Epidemiological Study of Subclinical Atherosclerosis (SESSA) randomly recruited community-dwelling apparently healthy men aged 40-79 years from Shiga, Japan, and measured their step counts over 7 consecutive days using a pedometer (DIGI-Walker, DW-200) at baseline (2006-08). Among 853 mem who returned for follow-up (2010-12), we assessed their cognition using Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) score. The score can range from 0 to 100, and higher score indicates better cognition. We restricted our analyses to those with a valid 7-day average step count at baseline and who remained free of stroke (N=678). We calculated crude and adjusted mean CASI score according to quartile of average step count using linear regression models. All adjusting covariates used in models were asssessed at baseline including age, educational attainment, smoking, and drinking. Results: The mean [standard deviation] of age and unadjusted score were 63.8 [9.1] years and 90.8 [5.8]. Mean CASI score was higher in higher quartile of average step: 90.2, 90.4, 90.6, and 91.8 from the lowest to the highest quartile of average step ( P for trend =0.004) in a model adjusted for age and education. Further adjustment for smoking, drinking and other cardiovascular risk factors resulted in similar pattern of association (Table 1). Conclusions: Apparently healthy Japanese men with greater 7-day average step count at baseline measured with pedometer was associated with a small but significantly higher CASI score than those with fewer step count. The finding is consistent with the hypothesis that physical activity is protective for cognition in non-demented individuals.

Background:Smoking is an overwhelming, but preventable, risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), although smoking prevalence remains high in developed and developing countries in East Asia., Methods and results:In a population-based sample of 1019 Japanese men aged 40 to 79 years, without CVD, we examined cross-sectional associations of smoking status, cumulative pack-years, daily consumption, and time since cessation, with subclinical atherosclerosis at 4 anatomically distinct vascular beds, including coronary artery calcification, carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and plaque, aortic artery calcification (AoAC), and ankle-brachial index. Current, former, and never smoking were present in 32.3%, 50.0%, and 17.7%, respectively. Compared to never smokers, current smokers had significantly higher risks of subclinical atherosclerosis in all 4 circulations (eg, odds ratios for coronary artery calcification >0, 1.79 [95% CIs, 1.16-2.79]; CIMT >1.0 mm, 1.88 [1.02-3.47]; AoAC >0, 4.29 [2.30-7.97]; and ankle-brachial index 1.0 mm, 1.94 [1.13-3.34]; and AoAC >0, 2.55 [1.45-4.49]). Dose-response relationships of pack-years and daily consumption, particularly with CIMT, carotid plaque, AoAC, and ankle-brachial index, were observed among both current and former smokers, and even a small amount of pack-years or daily consumption among current smokers was associated with coronary artery calcification and AoAC, whereas time since cessation among former smokers was linearly associated with lower burdens of all atherosclerotic indices., Conclusions:Cigarette smoking was strongly associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in multiple vascular beds in Japanese men, and these associations attenuated with time since cessation.