Physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and Epstein-Barr virus antibodies in young adults

This study aimed to elucidate the associations between physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibody levels (as an indirect marker of cell-mediated immunity, CMI). This study made use of a 14-year longitudinal study with a representative sample of adolescents in the US. A total of 3361 participants (42.1% male) aged 11 to 21 years at baseline who completed Wave I (1994–1995), Wave III (2001 − 2002), and Wave IV (2008) surveys of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) were analyzed. Physical activity and sedentary behaviors at Waves I and III were assessed using interviewer-administered questionnaire. EBV viral capsid antigen (VCA) IgG antibody levels at Wave IV were analyzed from dried blood spot assays. Adjusted for confounders, among males, one additional day spent per week on strenuous sports at Wave III were associated with a decrease of 4.09 AU/ml in EBV antibody levels (p = 0.012), while one additional hour spent per week viewing videos at Wave I was associated with an increase of 0.83 AU/ml in EBV antibody levels (p = 0.026). Among females, one additional day spent per week on individual sports at Wave III were associated with a decrease of 4.63 AU/ml in EBV antibody levels (p = 0.014), while sedentary behaviors were not associated with EBV antibody levels. To conclude, physical activity and sedentary behaviors were associated with CMI among males and physical activity was associated with CMI among females.

Add Health, Cell-mediated immunity, Exercise, Herpesvirus, Longitudinal study, Pediatrics

10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.06.026

0031-9384

390-394

Lee, Paul H.

02620eab-ae7f-4a1c-bad1-8a50e7e48951

1 October 2016

Lee, Paul H.

02620eab-ae7f-4a1c-bad1-8a50e7e48951

Lee, Paul H. (2016) Physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and Epstein-Barr virus antibodies in young adults. Physiology and Behavior, 164 (Pt.A, 10), 390-394. (doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.06.026).

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Published date: 1 October 2016

Additional Information: Funding Information: The author received no funding for this study. The author discloses no conflict of interest. No financial support was received for this manuscript. This research uses data from Add Health, a program project directed by Kathleen Mullan Harris and designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 23 other federal agencies and foundations. Special acknowledgment is due Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design. Information on how to obtain the Add Health data files is available on the Add Health website ( http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth ). No direct support was received from grant P01-HD31921 for this analysis. Publisher Copyright: © 2016 Elsevier Inc.

Keywords: Add Health, Cell-mediated immunity, Exercise, Herpesvirus, Longitudinal study, Pediatrics