Light Physical Activity May Lower Mortality Risk in Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome

THURSDAY, Jan. 8, 2026 (HealthDay News) — For individuals with cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome stages 2 and above, light-intensity physical activity (PA), such as common everyday activities, is associated with a lower risk for all-cause mortality, according to a research letter published online Jan. 7 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Joseph Sartini, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and colleagues examined the association between light PA and all-cause mortality by CKM stage in a sample of 7,246 U.S. adults from the 2003 to 2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The researchers observed a modest correlation between light PA and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (r = 0.34 to 0.43 depending on CKM stage). Median light PA was highest and lowest in CKM stage 0/1 and stage 4 (4.8 and 3.5 hours/day, respectively). In all stages, the median proportion of total active time spent performing light PA was ≥93.8 percent, and in CKM stages 3 and 4, it was ≥98.5 percent. During a median follow-up of 14.4 years, there were 80, 583, 565, and 571 deaths in stages 0/1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively (3.3, 10.5, 74.9, and 70.7 per 1,000 person-years, respectively). In CKM stages 2 to 4, light PA was significantly associated with lower mortality after adjustment. The relative risk for mortality was 14 to 20 percent lower with each one-hour increase. The inverse association between active time and mortality was strongest in stage 4 CKM syndrome, on an absolute scale.

“Light physical activity is an overlooked treatment tool that can help improve heart health for people with CKM syndrome,” Sartini said in a statement.

Two authors disclosed ties to the medical and health technology industries.

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