title: Quality of life is not negatively affected by diet and exercise intervention in healthy men with cardiovascular risk factors.
abstract: Health-related quality of life was assessed in a diet and exercise intervention study among 157 healthy men aged 35-60 years (mean +/- s.d.; 46.2 +/- 5.0) with moderately raised cardiovascular risk factors. The men were randomized to four groups, diet (D, n = 40), exercise (E, n = 39), diet plus exercise (DE, n = 39), and no active intervention (controls (C) n = 39). Quality of life was measured with two self-administered questionnaires; Subjective Symptoms Assessment Profile and Minor Symptom Evaluation Profile, at baseline and after 1.5, 3 and 6 months. Cardiovascular risk factors were investigated at baseline and after 6 months. As a result of changes in dietary habits and physical exercise in the three intervention groups, several important cardiovascular risk factors were significantly reduced. The quality of life/well-being did not differ between the four groups and did not change significantly in any of the groups during the study. There was, however, a tendency towards fewer gastrointestinal symptoms in group D and fewer cardiac symptoms in group DE. We conclude that advice on lifestyle changes in the form of diet and exercise reduce risk factors in middle-aged men without negative effects on their quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Centre of General Medicine NVSO, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Hospital, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Hellénius
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dahlöf
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aberg
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Krakau
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: de Faire
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004032:Diet; D015444:Exercise; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors