The long-term effects of exercise on cardiac health

A study published in the Journal of Hypertension suggests that undergoing yearly training programs can improve the heart health of people with metabolic syndrome. In the study, researchers from Spain aimed to determine whether repeated yearly training programs can improve blood pressure and metabolic syndrome.

• Researchers from the University of Castilla-La Mancha and Health Service of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain recruited 49 obese middle-age individuals with metabolic syndrome.
• The participants were divided into two groups: a control group and a training group.
• Participants in the control group remained sedentary, while those in the training group underwent high-intensity aerobic interval training for 16 weeks in three consecutive years.
• At the end of the first training program, the training group experienced lowered systolic arterial pressure, blood glucose, waist circumference, and metabolic syndrome score.
• During their sedentary period, these improvements relapsed to their initial levels, except for blood pressure.
• The second training program lowered the participants’ blood glucose and waist circumference levels.
• After detraining, levels of blood pressure, blood glucose, and metabolic syndrome severity remained lower than those in the control group.
• These improvements increased with the last training program.
• The 10-year estimated risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease only increased in the control group.

Overall, the findings suggest that at least two consecutive years of 16-week aerobic interval exercise can chronically improve metabolic syndrome, mediated by blood pressure improvement. On the other hand, being sedentary in three years increases the risk of atherosclerotic diseases risk in metabolic syndrome patients.

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Journal Reference:

Morales-Palomo F, Ramirez-Jimenez M, Ortega JF, Lopez-Galindo PL, Fernandez-Martin J, Mora-Rodriguez R. EFFECTS OF REPEATED YEARLY EXPOSURE TO EXERCISE-TRAINING ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND METABOLIC SYNDROME EVOLUTION. Journal of Hypertension. October 2017; 35(10): 1992-1999. DOI: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000001430