Change in Metabolic Syndrome and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Following Exercise Training – The Ball State Adult Fitness Longitudinal Lifestyle Study (BALL ST)

Abstract

Brittany E Smith,1 James E Peterman,2 Matthew P Harber,3 Mary T Imboden,4 Bradley S Fleenor,3 Leonard A Kaminsky,2 Mitchell H Whaley3 1Exercise Science and Exercise Physiology, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44240, USA; 2Fisher Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, 47306, USA; 3School of Kinesiology, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, 47306, USA; 4Department of Exercise Science, George Fox University, Portland, OR, 97132, USACorrespondence: Mitchell H Whaley, Email [email protected]: To evaluate how the changes in directly measured cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) relate to the changes in metabolic syndrome (MetS) status following 4– 6 months of exercise training.Methods: Maximal cardiopulmonary exercise (CPX) tests and MetS risk factors were analyzed prospectively from 336 adults (46% women) aged 45.8 ± 10.9 years. MetS was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III criteria, as updated by the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI). Pearson correlations, chi-squares, and dependent 2-tail t-tests were used to assess the relationship between the change in CRF and the change in MetS risk factors, overall number of MetS risk factors, and a MetS severity score following 4– 6 months of participation in a self-referred, community-based exercise program.Results: Overall prevalence of MetS decreased from 23% to 14% following the exercise program (P < 0.05), while CRF improved 15% (4.7 ± 8.4 mL/kg/min, P < 0.05). Following exercise training, the number of positive risk factors declined from 1.4 ± 1.3 to 1.2 ± 1.2 in the overall cohort (P < 0.05). The change in CRF was inversely related to the change in the overall number of MetS risk factors (r = − 0.22; P < 0.05) and the MetS severity score (r = − 0.28; p < 0.05).Conclusion: This observational cohort study indicates an inverse relationship between the change in CRF and the change in MetS severity following exercise training. These results suggest that participation in a community-based exercise program yields significant improvements in CRF, MetS risk factors, the prevalence of the binary MetS, and the MetS severity score. Improvement in CRF through exercise training should be a primary prevention strategy for MetS.Keywords: cardiorespiratory fitness, metabolic syndrome, exercise training, abdominal obesity

Keywords

• cardiorespiratory fitness
• metabolic syndrome
• exercise training
• abdominal obesity