Potential benefits of exercise training on cardiac function in individuals with metabolic syndrome

August 8, 2013

Sophie Lalande1, Robert J. Petrella1,2, J. Kevin Shoemaker1,3
1 Department of Kinesiology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
2 Schulich School of Medicine, Family Medicine, London, ON, Canada
3 Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Western University, London, ON, Canada

Originally Published in the CSEP member newsletter, Communiqué, Late August 2013

One in 5 Canadian adults has metabolic syndrome (MetS), a combination of various risk factors leading to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Individuals with MetS have an association of disorders including high blood pressure, high glucose levels, high triglyceride levels, elevated waist circumference and reduced HDL cholesterol. The first stage of cardiac dysfunction, characterised by an impaired filling of the left ventricle, has consistently been observed in individuals with MetS. Therefore, the objective of our study was to determine whether a 1-year combined aerobic and resistance exercise training program can improve cardiac function in individuals with MetS who have ≥ 3 risk factors. To address this question, we measured maximal aerobic capacity, blood pressure, blood markers, and cardiac function using echocardiography at weeks 0, 12, 24 and 52 throughout the exercise training.

Twenty-eight individuals with MetS (age: 60 ± 5 years) performed an exercise training program consisting of an average of 3 days/week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise ranging from 60 to 85% of maximal aerobic capacity, and 2 days/week of moderate-intensity resistance exercise ranging from 40 to 80% of individual one-repetition maximal effort. This 1-year exercise intervention increased maximal aerobic capacity and reduced MetS risk burden principally through an increase in HDL cholesterol and a reduced systolic blood pressure. With exercise training, half of the individuals with MetS reduced their number of risk factors below 2, with 2 individuals even reducing their number of risk factors to only 1. At the beginning of the exercise intervention, 2/3 of our participants showed the first stage of cardiac dysfunction, and this subgroup tended to have an improved cardiac function with exercise training.! On the other hand, exercise training did not induce any changes in cardiac function in the remaining individuals who had normal cardiac function at the start of training. Therefore, moderate-intensity resistance and aerobic exercise training improved cardiometabolic health and produced beneficial effects on cardiac function of some individuals with MetS.

Reference

Sophie Lalande, Robert J Petrella, J Kevin Shoemaker. Effect of exercise training on diastolic function in metabolic syndrome. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 05/2013; 38(5):545-50.

This article is a summary of an article published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition & Metabolism. If you intend citing any information in this article, please consult the original article and cite that source. This summary was written for the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology and it has been reviewed by the CSEP Knowledge Transfer Committee.

The CSEP Knowledge Translation Committee supports the translation of research-based knowledge for the practical application of improving the health of Canadians through the publication of this article.