Cardio, Cardio + Resistance Training Improve CVD Risk Profile at One Year

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 31, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- 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.

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