Effectiveness of short-term aerobic exercise program on cardiovascular risk profile in moderate risk adults: A randomized controlled pilot study

Abstract

Background: According to World Health Report 2002, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) will be the largest cause of death and disability by 2020 in India. In 2020, 2.6 million Indians are predicted to die due to coronary heart disease, which constitutes 54.1% of all CVD deaths. Nearly half of these deaths are likely to occur in young and middle-aged individuals (30-69 years). We undertook this study with objectives to evaluate the cardiovascular risk profile in asymptomatic individuals with moderate risk factors and to understand the effect of the short-term (3 weeks) exercise over cardiovascular risk factors. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with a total of 34 subjects comprising of 17 subjects in each group. Subjects underwent biochemical tests like fasting lipid (total cholesterol [TC], triglyceride, high-density lipoproteins [HDLs], low-density lipoproteins [LDLs]) and fasting blood glucose. Other outcome measures were VO 2 max, body mass index and body fat % (BF%). Results: This study suggested that 3 weeks of moderate intensity aerobic training has a beneficial effect in lowering the cardiovascular risk profiles in adults with moderate risk factors. This training reduced TC, improves HDL, reduced LDL and improved aerobic capacity by improving VO 2 max and reducing BF%.

Keywords

• Aerobic exercise program
• risk profile
• VO 2