10/22/2018 / By Michelle Simmons
Undergoing yearly exercise training programs can improve the heart health of people with metabolic syndrome, according to a study published in the Journal of Hypertension.
Metabolic syndrome refers to a group of conditions occurring together, such as increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels, that increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Therefore, it is important for people with metabolic syndrome to take extra measures to prevent or lower their risk of these health conditions, and regular exercise is one of the most common and effective ways to improve health. (Related: Best Exercise to Reverse Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes.)
Researchers from Spain aimed to determine whether repeated yearly training programs can improve blood pressure and metabolic syndrome. In their study, the researchers recruited a total of 49 obese middle-age individuals with metabolic syndrome. Twenty-three of them underwent high-intensity aerobic interval exercise training for four months in three consecutive years, while the other participants remained sedentary to serve as controls.
After the first training program, those who trained experienced improvements in their systolic arterial pressure, blood glucose, waist circumference, and metabolic syndrome. After leaving the program, these improvements went back to their initial levels, except for blood pressure.
At the end of the second training program, participants’ blood glucose and waist circumference levels were reduced again, and even when they were not training, the levels of blood pressure, blood glucose, and metabolic syndrome severity remained lower than those in the control group. These improvements further increased with the last training program.
Moreover, the risk atherosclerosis increased among the participants who remained sedentary within those three years.
The researchers concluded that at least two consecutive years of a four-month aerobic interval exercise can chronically improve metabolic syndrome and improve blood pressure levels, improving heart health. On the other hand, being sedentary for three years increases the risk of atherosclerotic diseases risk in metabolic syndrome patients.
Treating metabolic syndrome is important in order to cut one’s risk of other health complications. Here are some things you can do to treat metabolic syndrome:
Read more news stories and studies on preventing heart disease by going to Heart.news.
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arterial pressure, benefits of exercise, cardiovascular diseases, cardiovascular health, dysmetabolic syndrome, exercise, fitness, Heart, heart health, high-intensity interval training, metabolic syndrome, syndrome X
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