Cardio, Cardio + Resistance Training Improve CVD Risk Profile at One Year
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 31, 2024 -- In adults with overweight or obesity, aerobic exercise alone or a combined resistance plus aerobic exercise program leads to improvements in composite cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk profiles at one year, according to a study published online Jan. 17 in the European Heart Journal.
Duck-chul Lee, Ph.D., from Iowa State University in Ames, and colleagues randomly assigned 406 adults (aged 35 to 70 years) with overweight or obesity and elevated blood pressure to resistance exercise (102 participants), aerobic exercise (101 participants), combined resistance plus aerobic exercise (101 participants), or a no-exercise control (102 participants). Interventions lasted one hour, three times per week, for one year.
The researchers found that at one year, there were declines in the composite Z-score, indicating improved CVD risk profile, in the aerobic (mean difference, −0.15) and combination (mean difference, −0.16) groups. However, no improvement was seen in the resistance group (mean difference, −0.02). Compared with the resistance group, both aerobic and combination groups had greater reductions in the composite Z-score, with no difference between the aerobic and combination groups. All three exercise groups experienced a decrease in percent body fat at one year. Compared with the control group, the no-exercise group experienced decreases in systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and fasting glucose.
"If you’re bored with aerobic exercise and want variety or you have joint pain that makes running long distances difficult, our study shows you can replace half of your aerobic workout with strength training to get the same cardiovascular benefits," Lee said in a statement.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted January 2024
Read this next
Cardiorespiratory Fitness Cuts Risk for Poor Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes
WEDNESDAY, May 8, 2024 -- There is consistent evidence that high cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is strongly associated with a lower risk for a variety of cardiovascular disease...
Persistent Health Differences Seen Between Females and Males
FRIDAY, May 3, 2024 -- From 1990 to 2021, there were persistent health differences between females and males, according to a study published online May 1 in The Lancet Public...
Long-Term Study of Postmenopausal Women Does Not Support Many Preventive Therapies
THURSDAY, May 2, 2024 -- The longitudinal Women's Health Initiative trials do not support hormone therapy for cardiovascular disease prevention, calcium and vitamin D...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.