Effects of exercise in overweight Japanese with multiple cardiovascular risk factors.
OBJECTIVE
The effects of exercise in subjects with multiple cardiovascular risk factors (RF) have never been tested in a large-scale randomized controlled trial. The favorable results from our observational study led to this randomized controlled trial.


METHODS
The participants, recruited from a community, were overweight, with two of the following three risk factors: hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or glucose intolerance (N=561; 44% male; mean age (SD) 67 (6); mean BMI 26.4 (2.0)). All participants received a standard health exam with counseling, followed by randomization. The intervention group (INT) was to exercise two to four times per week for 6 months at a fitness club.


RESULTS
Dropout rate was 11% for INT and 10% for the controls. INT exercised an average of 2.6 times per week. Among primary outcome measures, there was a marginally significant between-group difference in changes in systolic blood pressure (intervention minus control, -2.46 mm Hg). Reductions in LDL cholesterol (-1.9 mg.dL) and hemoglobin A1c (-0.042%) were not significant. Among secondary outcomes, between-group differences were significantly greater (P<0.05) for INT in mean body weight (-1.60 kg), waist circumference (-1.8 cm), triglyceride (-7 mg.dL), hsCRP (-0.063 mg.L), and estimated VO2peak (2.0 mL.kg.min). All directional mean RF changes consistently favored INT. A cardiovascular risk reduction estimated from the changes in RF was about 24%. A greater improvement was also found in health-related quality-of-life measures (SF-36) in INT. No difference was found in the adverse event rate.


CONCLUSIONS
Exercising an average of 2.6 times per week for 6 months produced a significant improvement in cardiovascular risk profile in subjects with multiple cardiovascular risk factors through cumulative results of modest yet pervasive changes in all conventional risk factors, without increased adverse effects.
Nishijima
Hirotaka
H
Sapporo Health Promotion Center, Sapporo, Japan. nishijima@sapporo-hpc.com
Satake
Keiji
K
Igarashi
Kumiko
K
Morita
Noriteru
N
Kanazawa
Naomi
N
Okita
Koichi
K
D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D050177:Overweight; D012307:Risk Factors