Intensive lifestyle modification: impact on cardiovascular disease risk factors in subjects with and without clinical cardiovascular disease.
Intensive lifestyle modification programs are intended to stabilize or promote regression of coronary artery disease; however, clinical response is often nonuniform, complicating appropriate utilization of resources and prediction of outcome. This study assessed physiological and psychological benefits to 72 persons participating in a prospective, nonrandomized, four-component lifestyle change program and compared response between patients with clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) and patients with elevated risk factors for CVD but without clinical manifestations of disease. Subjects entering the program due to elevated risk factor levels alone demonstrated equal or greater benefit, in terms of improvement in primary CVD risk factors and reduction in measures of coronary disease risk developed in the Framingham Heart Study, than those with clinical CVD. These findings suggest that intensive lifestyle change programs may be important for primary prevention in individuals at increased risk of CVD.
Ellsworth
Darrell L
DL
Cardiovascular Disease Research Program, Windber Research Institute, 600 Somerset Avenue, Windber, PA 15963, USA. d.ellsworth@wriwindber.org
O'Dowd
Sean C
SC
Salami
Barbara
B
Hochberg
Alan
A
Vernalis
Marina N
MN
Marshall
Debra
D
Morris
Jonathan A
JA
Somiari
Richard I
RI
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D000072038:Cardiac Rehabilitation; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004032:Diet; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D002784:Cholesterol