Effect of a one-year combined exercise training program on body composition in men with coronary artery disease.

Increased fat mass, particularly abdominal fat mass, is associated with poor metabolic profiles and an increase in cardiovascular risk factors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a 1-year combined aerobic and strength training regimen, compared to aerobic training only, on body composition in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Thirty-six males with CAD were assigned to 3 groups: 13 to weight training plus aerobic training (combined training group [CT]), 13 to aerobic training only (aerobic training group [AT]), and 10 to a control group (no exercise [CG]). Body composition was determined by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Differences were observed between groups at the end of the study, controlling for prevalues. The total and trunk percent fat mass (%FM) were lower in CT compared with AT and CG (P<.05). The total %FM in AT was significantly (P<.05) lower than in CG, but the %FM of the trunk did not differ between the 2 groups. Fat-free mass (FFM) was significantly higher in CT than in AT and CG (P<.05). The results suggest that a long-term CT program is more effective than an AT program alone in producing changes in body composition. The percentage changes in total and trunk fat mass were higher in CT (-11% and -12%, respectively) than in AT (-2.4% and -0.7%, respectively). Future studies need to investigate the specific health effects of trunkal fat mass loss in patients with CAD.