Lipids & metabolic liver disease
Diurnal timing and volume of physical activity in relation to metabolic syndrome in US adults: a population-based cohort study
Authors' conclusion
Our study shows that morning and midday-afternoon PA patterns are associated with lower odds of MetS compared to late afternoon-evening PA. Higher total PA volume is also linked with lower odds of MetS. Conversely, prolonged PA during the late evening or nighttime is associated with higher odds of poorer metabolic outcomes.
Study context
- Population
- US adults, NHANES 2011–2014 cycles
- Participants
- 5,065 adults
- Exposure
- Morning or midday-afternoon physical activity (PA) timing vs late afternoon-evening PA timing
- Outcome
- Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components
Methodological detailsNHANES 2011-2014, triaxial accelerometry, K-means clustering of PA timing, PA volume tertiles
- NHANES 2011-2014
- Triaxial accelerometry
- K-means clustering of PA timing
- PA volume tertiles
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
MetS
Each group vs late afternoon-eveningAdjusted odds ratio (95% CI)
Morning
0.79(0.63–0.99)
Midday-afternoon
0.78(0.62–0.98)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Metabolic syndrome (MetS), joint PA timing and volume (reference: late afternoon-evening/low PA)
- Morning and midday-afternoon timing associated with lower odds of MetS when combined with moderate or high PA volume
- Late afternoon-evening timing significantly associated with lower odds of MetS only at high PA volume
- Joint analyses
Dose-response of PA with MetS
- Nonlinear association with MetS in morning PA pattern; dose-dependent associations in midday-afternoon and late afternoon-evening patterns
- Restricted cubic splines
Original publication
Diurnal timing and volume of physical activity in relation to metabolic syndrome in US adults: a population-based cohort study. Int J Obes (Lond). Published 25 August 2025. doi:10.
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