BACKGROUND

The majority of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) are overweight. However, little weight loss occurs with participation in a standard cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program.

METHODS

Fifteen overweight patients (average body mass index of 31.0 kg/m2) with CHD completed a 4-month exercise training program in a CR program. The exercise program consisted primarily of walking long duration (60-90 minutes per session) 5 to 7 days per week at a relatively low intensity of 50% to 60% of peak VO2. Measures of body composition by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, body fat distribution by computed tomography, plasma lipid-lipoprotein, glucose and insulin concentrations, and peak VO2 were obtained before and after the exercise intervention. Patients maintained an isocaloric diet throughout the study.

RESULTS

Patients had reductions in total body weight (-4.6 kg), fat mass (-3.6 kg), percent body fat (-2.9%), and waist circumference (-5.6 cm) (all P <.001) while maintaining fat-free mass. Subcutaneous adipose tissue was reduced by 12% (P <.001) and visceral adipose tissue was lowered by 14% (P <.001). There were favorable changes in the lipid-metabolic profile with reductions in triglyceride levels (-23.7%), total cholesterol/HDL-C ratio (-14.3%), and fasting insulin levels (-22.3%) (all P <.05). Peak VO2 increased by 21.2% (P <.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The present pilot study results suggest that a high caloric training exercise training program in the CR setting may be effective in promoting weight loss and improving coronary risk factors in overweight coronary patients. Although additional research with randomized control patients is needed, this alternative to traditional CR may be considered to maximize weight loss as part of a secondary prevention program.