Impulsivity moderates the association between physical activity and alcohol consumption

Subjective and Behavioral Impulsivity Differentially Moderate Within- and Between-Person Associations Between Physical Activity and Alcohol Consumption

OBJECTIVE

Evidence indicates a counterintuitive positive relationship between physical activity and alcohol consumption, suggesting that people who engage in more physical activity consume more alcohol. Impulsivity, which has a well-documented role in alcohol use disorders, has been shown to moderate the between-person physical activity-drinking association among emerging adults. However, only a handful of studies have explored within-person associations of physical activity and drinking and potential moderators of this relationship. The current study evaluated the effects of both subjective and behavioral impulsivity on the within- and between-person association between physical activity and alcohol consumption among college students.

METHOD

Undergraduate students (N = 250) between ages 18 and 25 years were asked to report their daily physical activity and drinking over 21 days. Physical activity was also recorded objectively through Pacer, a smartphone app. Subjective impulsivity was assessed using the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale, and behavioral impulsivity was evaluated using the Balloon Analogue Risk Task.

RESULTS

Within- and between-subject physical activity-drinking associations were differentially moderated by behavioral impulsivity and self-reported impulsivity. For instance, behavioral impulsivity moderated the within-person association between drinking and self-reported vigorous physical activity, whereas negative urgency moderated the between-person association between drinking and objective physical activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Impulsivity, whether measured subjectively or behaviorally, significantly moderates the physical activity-alcohol consumption association. Importantly, this effect operates differently when predicting variation in behavior within individuals as compared with predicting differences in behavior between individuals.

Psychosocial factors and physical activity among workers in Brazil

BACKGROUND

Complex behaviors, such as physical activity (PA), may be related to different levels of influence.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the role of social support, mood and alcohol consumption as psychosocial predictors on the engagement in PA among Brazilian workers.

METHODS

This is a quantitative, cross-sectional analytical study. A sample of 395 participants answered a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), the Baecke Habitual Physical Activity Questionnaire, the Social Support Scale for Physical Activities (SSSPA) and the Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS).

RESULTS

Analysis via Pearson's Correlation Test indicated a negative correlation between PA and depression and fatigue, and a positive correlation between PA and alcohol consumption, vigor and the four variables of social support (support of family members for walking; support of friends for walking; support of family members for moderate and vigorous physical activity; support of friends for moderate and vigorous physical activity). A positive relationship between PA and low-risk alcohol consumption was also identified. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that family support for walking, friends support for moderate and vigorous physical activity, vigor and alcohol consumption are predictors of PA. Hayes' moderation analysis indicated that social support has a moderating effect on the relationship between alcohol use and PA.

CONCLUSION

Different factors may be involved in engaging in PA. A broader approach that addresses the singularities of individuals, especially in actions for different patterns of alcohol consumption, is recommended.

BDNF and its Role in the Alcohol Abuse Initiated During Early Adolescence: Evidence from Preclinical and Clinical Studies

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a crucial brain signaling protein that is integral to many signaling pathways. This neurotrophin has shown to be highly involved in brain plastic processes such as neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity, axonal growth, and neurotransmission, among others. In the first part of this review, we revise the role of BDNF in different neuroplastic processes within the central nervous system. On the other hand, its deficiency in key neural circuits is associated with the development of psychiatric disorders, including alcohol abuse disorder. Many people begin to drink alcohol during adolescence, and it seems that changes in BDNF are evident after the adolescent regularly consumes alcohol. Therefore, the second part of this manuscript addresses the involvement of BDNF during adolescent brain maturation and how this process can be negatively affected by alcohol abuse. Finally, we propose different BNDF enhancers, both behavioral and pharmacological, which should be considered in the treatment of problematic alcohol consumption initiated during the adolescence.

Associations between Impulsivity and Exercise Addiction, Disordered Eating, and Alcohol Use Behaviors: A Latent Profile Analysis

BackgroundDespite the known negative consequences of exercise addiction and preliminary evidence suggesting that it may co-occur with other health risk behaviors, no studies to date have examined exercise addiction among college students in conjunction with disordered eating behaviors and alcohol use. The aim of this study was to describe which college students are most at-risk for co-occurring health risk behaviors to enhance the efficiency of health risk prevention efforts. Method: Guided by multidimensional theories of impulsivity and substance use models of comorbidity, this study used latent profile analysis to examine whether separate, conceptually meaningful profiles of risk for exercise addiction, disordered eating behaviors, and alcohol use would emerge among 503 college students from a large public university. Results: The best-fitting model supported three profiles. MANOVA results revealed significant profile differences based on exercise addiction, binge eating, purging, laxative/pill/diuretic use, exercising longer than 60 minutes, negative urgency, and problematic alcohol use. Profile 3 students (n = 29), labeled the Affect Driven Health Risk-Takers, demonstrated the highest levels of impulsivity (i.e., negative urgency, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, and sensation seeking) and the most risk behaviors compared to the other two profiles. Profile membership was associated with distinct levels of negative urgency, exercise addiction, disordered eating behaviors, and problematic alcohol use. A small proportion of undergraduates demonstrated co-occurring exercise addiction, disordered eating behaviors, and problematic alcohol use. Profile membership also predicted the health outcomes of clinically significant exercise addiction and hazardous alcohol use. Conclusions: Findings illuminated how patterns of risk behavior engagement were associated with clinically significant exercise addiction and hazardous alcohol use and will inform prevention efforts and clinical interventions with at-risk college students.

Daily- and Person-Level Associations Between Physical Activity and Alcohol Use Among College Students

Emerging adults, particularly university students, who are physically active, drink more than their less physically active peers. We extended this between-person relationship to the within-person level of analysis, by examining whether students are more likely to drink on days when they exercise, and whether this within-person association remains after controlling for potential confounding factors. We also explored the temporal sequence of the physical activity (PA)-alcohol use association. University students (N = 426) completed a 30-day online diary. The small positive within-person association between PA and alcohol use was not retained after controlling for day of the week. However, previous day's drinking was inversely associated with next day's PA on weekdays. These findings suggest that the previously reported positive PA-alcohol association does not necessarily align with the within-person daily association. Future studies with more nuanced measurement strategies, such as ecological momentary assessment, are needed to better understand the association between PA and alcohol use.

Physical Activity Guidelines Compliance and Its Relationship With Preventative Health Behaviors and Risky Health Behaviors

BACKGROUND

People who are physically active enjoy a multitude of health benefits across their lifespan compared with people who are not physically active. However, little research has sought to determine whether those who meet the physical activity (PA) guidelines also engage in other healthy behaviors. The purpose of this study was to compare healthy behaviors of people who met the PA guidelines set forth by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to those who did not meet the guidelines.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey conducted in 2017. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed using chi-square tests. Odds and adjusted odds ratios were calculated using multiple logistic regressions.

RESULTS

Those who met the PA guidelines were more likely to get a flu shot, have a medical checkup, take human immunodeficiency virus tests, wear seatbelts, and binge drink more frequently, compared with those who did not meet the guidelines. This group is also less likely to be smokers and be overweight or obese in comparison to their inactive counterparts.

CONCLUSION

The positive association between PA and other healthy behaviors represents synergistic health activities, with healthy behaviors supporting others.

Exercise-driven restoration of the alcohol-damaged brain

There are vast literatures on the neural effects of alcohol and the neural effects of exercise. Simply put, exercise is associated with brain health, alcohol is not, and the mechanisms by which exercise benefits the brain directly counteract the mechanisms by which alcohol damages it. Although a degree of brain recovery naturally occurs upon cessation of alcohol consumption, effective treatments for alcohol-induced brain damage are badly needed, and exercise is an excellent candidate from a mechanistic standpoint. In this chapter, we cover the small but growing literature on the interactive neural effects of alcohol and exercise, and the capacity of exercise to repair alcohol-induced brain damage. Increasingly, exercise is being used as a component of treatment for alcohol use disorders (AUD), not because it reverses alcohol-induced brain damage, but because it represents a rewarding, alcohol-free activity that could reduce alcohol cravings and improve comorbid conditions such as anxiety and depression. It is important to bear in mind, however, that multiple studies attest to a counterintuitive positive relationship between alcohol intake and exercise. We therefore conclude with cautionary notes regarding the use of exercise to repair the brain after alcohol damage.

Population Risk of Ischemic Heart Disease Depending on the Volume of Alcohol Consumption by the Population (ЭССЕ-РФ Study in the Kemerovo Region)

PURPOSE

to assess relationship between the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and associated population risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) alcohol consumption in the Siberian region (Kemerovo Region).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This work was carried out within the framework of a multicenter epidemiological study "Epidemiology of CardioVascular Diseases in the regions of the Russian Federation" (ЭССЕ-РФ in the Kemerovo region) in 2013. In the final form, the sample size was 1628 individuals aged 25-64 years. We analyzed data on frequency, volume, and type of consumed alcoholic beverages, as well as on the presence of a number of risk factors of cardiovascular diseases and IHD. Alcohol consumption was estimated by the original method, volume of alcohol consumed in a year was categorized as absent (non-drinkers), moderate, medium, and strong. The calculation of the population risk of IHD was carried out according to the author's methodology, taking into account the prevalence of risk factors and their contribution to the development of IHD.

RESULTS

Prevalence of several risk factors among non-drinkers was significantly different (p<0.05) compared with drinkers with varying degrees of alcohol consumption. In men, there were differences in low physical activity, hypertriglyceridemia, excess weight, education, in women - in anxiety, low physical activity, hypertriglyceridemia, educational qualifications, smoking. In nondrinking men, the additional risk of IHD associated with risk factors was slightly reduced (-1.1 %). In groups of moderate, moderate, and strong alcohol consumption, risk of IHD was higher than the population risk by 2.2 %, 0.7 % and 6.5 %, respectively. In non-drinking women high burden of risk factors accounted for additional risk of IHD (4.5 %). In women with moderate and medium alcohol consumption the risk of IHD was 2.5 and 1.9 %, respectively, lower compared with population risk. Abuse of alcohol in women caused significant increase in the burden of risk factors and, accordingly, was associated with high additional risk of IHD (18.7 %).

CONCLUSION

Predominantly linear in men and J-shaped in women relationship between prevalence of risk factors and volume of alcohol consumption accounted for analogous tendencies in population IHD risk. Specific for men is close to linear dependence of additional IHD risk on population IHD risk with insignificant variability in non-drinkers, moderate and medial consumers, and with significant growth in alcohol abusers. Women have a J-shaped relationship: in extreme categories (non-drinkiers and alcohol abusers), the risk of IHD is higher than the population risk, while in the middle categories (moderate and medial consumers) it is lower than the population risk.

A quantification of the alcohol use-consequences association in college student and clinical populations: A large, multi-sample study

BACKGROUND

The present study sought to quantify the relationship between alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences in both college student and clinical samples.

METHODS

We gathered 33 college student datasets comprising of 15,618 participants and nine clinical sample datasets comprising of 4,527 participants to determine the effect size of the relationship between alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences. We used random-effects meta-analytic techniques, separately in college and clinical samples, to account for a distribution of true effects and to assess for heterogeneity in effect sizes.

RESULTS

Results demonstrated that the clear majority of the variability in alcohol-related consequences is not explained by alcohol use (ie, >77% in college samples; >86% in clinical samples), and that there was significant heterogeneity in all effect sizes.

CONCLUSIONS AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE

Experiencing alcohol-related consequences results from factors that extend beyond frequency and quantity of alcohol consumed suggesting a need to examine other predictors of alcohol-related consequences beyond alcohol use. (Am J Addict 2018;27:116-123).

Health promotion in young people: Identifying the predisposing factors of self-care health habits

Unhealthy behaviors are strongly associated with chronic diseases, disabilities, or mortality. Identifying the predisposing factors that influence on self-care healthy habits will improve an early detection of high-risk groups. Four hundred and sixty-six Spanish young people aged 18-25 years were assessed. Global perceived health self-care was predicted by Value of health and Conscientiousness, both in females (R² = 0.185; F = 29.661; p < 0.001) and males (R² = 0.154; F = 17.849; p < 0.001). The results have shown gender differences in health self-care habits. Health promotion policies should include specific health consciousness-based strategies.

Testing weight motives and guilt/shame as mediators of the relationship between alcohol use and physical activity

OBJECTIVES

Test whether weight motives and guilt/shame mediate the positive relationship between physical activity and alcohol use among college-attending young adults.

DESIGN

A longitudinal design was employed.

METHOD

Young adults who were attending college (N=371) completed two self-administered questionnaires separated by approximately one month. Heavy episodic drinking was assessed at Time 1. Vigorous physical activity, moderate physical activity, weight motives, and guilt/shame were assessed at Time 2.

RESULTS

Results are consistent with weight motives as a mediator of the positive relationship between heavy episodic drinking and vigorous physical activity. Results were inconsistent with guilt/shame as a mediator of this relationship. There was no statistically significant relationship between heavy episodic drinking and moderate physical activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Heavy episodic drinking was related to vigorous but not to moderate physical activity in the subsequent 30-days. Furthermore, the results are consistent with weight motives as a mediator of the relationship between alcohol use and vigorous physical activity.

Gender-moderated links between urgency, binge drinking, and excessive exercise

OBJECTIVE

Exercise correlates with alcohol use, but the nature of this relation and the extent to which it is maladaptive remains unclear. Urgency and motives for engaging in drinking and exercise might indicate when these behaviors are problematic. The current study examined whether urgency moderated the association between exercise motivated by weight loss and drinking.

PARTICIPANTS

College students (N = 589, 45.7% male) completed the study during the spring of 2012.

METHODS

Participants completed self-report assessment measures, including frequency/quantity of alcohol consumption, exercise for weight loss, and urgency, during a single session.

RESULTS

Negative urgency moderated the relation between exercise and alcohol consumption in men but not women; the link between excessive exercise and alcohol use was stronger for men with higher levels of urgency.

CONCLUSIONS

Further clarification of the mechanisms underlying alcohol use and physical activity-particularly maladaptive approaches to exercise-will inform health interventions among college students.

No Direct Survival Effect of Light to Moderate Alcohol Drinking in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

OBJECTIVES

To assess the relationship between light to moderate alcohol consumption and mortality, particularly accounting for baseline health status and physical activity.

DESIGN

Prospective, longitudinal, population-based study.

SETTING

The Pianoro Study, which consisted of community-dwelling older adults in three towns in northern Italy.

PARTICIPANTS

Noninstitutionalized individuals of both sexes aged 65 and older (N = 5,256; 2,318 abstainers, 2,309 light to moderate drinkers (≤2 alcoholic units/d)).

MEASUREMENTS

Baseline information about demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, physical activity (Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE)), perceived health status (visual analog scale (VAS)), dependency level, risk factors, and previous cardiovascular events was obtained using a structured questionnaire. Follow-up information was obtained 6 years later from 2,752 survivors, and mortality information was obtained from death certificates.

RESULTS

Male sex, being physically active, and good health status were independently associated with light to moderate drinking (P < .001). An apparent protective effect of light to moderate drinking on mortality was evident in the unadjusted analysis and after adjusting for age, sex, risk factors, and cardiovascular events (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 0.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.68-0.88, P < .001), but after also adjusting for PASE and VAS, the relationship was no longer significant (aHR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.80-1.05, P = .19). Follow-up physical activity was associated with baseline alcohol consumption; baseline physical activity did not predict alcohol consumption during follow-up.

CONCLUSION

After accounting for health status and physical activity, light to moderate alcohol drinking had no direct protective effect on mortality.

Exercise and Alcohol Consumption: What We Know, What We Need to Know, and Why it is Important

Exercise provides a wealth of benefits to brain and body, and is regarded as a protective factor against disease. Protective factors tend to cluster together - that is, people who engage in one healthy behavior, such as exercise, also engage in other healthy behaviors, such as maintaining a nutritious diet and getting sufficient sleep. In contrast to exercise, alcohol consumption is not typically regarded as a health-promoting behavior, although moderate intake has been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Surprisingly, several large, population-based studies have shown a positive association between physical activity and alcohol intake. The present review focuses on what is known about this relationship, including potential neural bases as well as moderating factors, and discusses important directions for further study, such as a more thorough characterization of people who both drink and exercise. We focus on ramifications for intervening with people who have alcohol use disorders, as exercise has been assessed as both a treatment and preventive measure, with mixed results. We believe that, in order for such interventions to be effective, clinical trials must distinguish treatment-seeking populations from non-treatment-seeking ones, as well as ensure that the use of exercise as a tool to decrease alcohol consumption is made explicit. We posit that a better understanding of the relationship between physical activity and alcohol intake will maximize intervention efforts by informing the design of clinical trials and research-driven prevention strategies, as well as enable individuals to make educated decisions about their health behaviors.