Association of physical activity with lung function in lung-healthy German adults: results from the KORA FF4 study

BACKGROUND: In lung disease, physical activity (PA) yields beneficial health effects, but its association with the function of healthy lungs has rarely been studied. We investigated the association of accelerometer-based PA with spirometric indices, maximal inspiratory mouth pressure (PI(max)) and lung diffusion capacity in lung-healthy adults. METHODS: In total, 341 apparently lung-healthy participants from the population-based KORA (Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg) FF4 cohort study (45% male, aged 48-68 years, 47% never smokers) completed lung function testing and wore ActiGraph accelerometers over a one week period at the hip. In adjusted regression analyses, moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) was characterized as: sex-specific activity quartiles, achieving ≥ 10 consecutive minutes (yes vs. no), and meeting the WHO PA recommendations (yes vs. no). RESULTS: Positive associations of MVPA-quartiles with forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)), forced vital capacity (FVC), and corresponding Global Lung Function Initiative z-scores were found. Subjects in the most active quartile (> 47 or > 50 min/day for females and males, respectively) had 142 ml [95% CI: 23, 260] higher FEV(1) and 155 ml [95% CI: 10, 301] higher FVC than those in the least active quartile (< 17 or < 21 min/day for females and males, respectively); however these associations were stronger among ex−/current smokers. Achieving at least once 10 consecutive minutes of MVPA was only associated with higher PI(max) [β-estimate: 0.57 kPa; 95% CI: 0.04, 1.10], remaining significant among never smokers. No associations were found with diffusion capacity or for reaching the WHO-recommended 150 min of MVPA/week in 10-min bouts. CONCLUSIONS: Although the effects were small, active subjects showed higher spirometric results. The observed associations were more pronounced among ever smokers suggesting a higher benefit of PA for subjects being at a higher risk for chronic lung diseases. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12890-017-0562-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.