ORIGINAL ARTICLE  SPORT CARDIOLOGY 

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2017 January-February;57(1-2):138-43

DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.16.05916-8

Copyright © 2015 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Exercise training at the crossover point improves bodily and cardiorespiratory data but not quality of life in women with metabolic syndrome

Jeremy B. COQUART ¹, Guillaume BOITEL ^{2, 3}, Benoit BOREL ⁴, Alain DUHAMEL ⁵, Regis MATRAN ^{2, 6}, Pascal DELSART ⁷, Claire MOUNIER-VEHIER ⁷, Murielle GARCIN ^{2, 3} ✉

¹ Université de Rouen, CETAPS, EA 3832, Mont Saint Aignan, France; ² Université de Lille, Lille, France; ³ UDSL, EA4488, Ronchin, France; ⁴ Université de Limoges, HAVAE, EA 6310, Limoges, France; ⁵ Université de Lille, Département des Bio-Statistiques, EA 2694, Lille, France; ⁶ Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Lille, Service des Explorations Fonctionnelles et Respiratoires, Lille, France; ⁷ Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Lille, Service de Médecine Vasculaire et d’Hypertension Artérielle, Lille, France

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the effects of an exercise program at the intensity corresponding to the crossover point of substrate utilization (COP) on anthropometric measures, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and cardiorespiratory fitness (i.e., peak oxygen uptake [V̇O2peak] and peak power output [Ppeak]) in women with metabolic syndrome (MetS).
METHODS: Nineteen obese and post-menopausal women with MetS (age: 54.8±8.1 years, body mass: 89.0±12.2 kg, Body Mass Index: 34.5±4.0 kg/m2) followed a 12-week program consisting of three 45-minute sessions per week of cycle ergometer exercise. The imposed exercise intensity corresponded to COP. Before and after the program, HRQoL, V̇O2peak and Ppeak were measured and then compared.
RESULTS: Body mass (89.0±12.2 vs. 86.2±11.0 kg), Body Mass Index (34.5±4.0 vs. 33.4±3.6 kg/m2), waist (106±10 vs. 100±9 cm) and hip (117±11 vs. 114±11 cm) circumferences, waist-to-hip ratio (0.91±0.07 vs. 0.88±0.07), fat mass (43.3±4.6 vs. 41.9±4.6%), fat-free mass (56.7±4.6 vs. 58.2±4.6%), V̇O2peak (16.6±3.4 vs. 18.1±4.1 mL/min/kg) and Ppeak (102±22 vs. 125±27 W) were significantly improved after the exercise program (P<0.05), but HRQoL showed no significant improvement on any subscale (i.e., physical functioning: performance limitation for physical activities including bathing and dressing, role physical: problems with work or other daily activities, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role emotional and mental health; P>0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Although a 12-week exercise program at COP improved anthropometric measures and cardiorespiratory fitness in women with MetS, self-perceived HRQoL did not significantly improve. This finding may be linked to a significant but still insufficient reduction in body mass, probably because COP is too weak exercise intensity to induce important energy expenditure.

KEY WORDS: Quality of life - Obesity - Indirect calorimetry - Substrate cycling - Oxygen consumption