Impacts of Comprehensive Exercise Therapy on the Management of Metabolic Disorders

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have reported a negative association between amount of physical activity and metabolic syndrome. There are strong associations between exercise therapy (ET) and reduced risk of metabolic disorders. The present case-control study was performed to assess the impact of comprehensive ET on the management of metabolic syndrome.

Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 66 patients with metabolic disorders between January 2014 and January of 2015. The participants’ demographic variables, referral reasons, resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and drug history were recorded in the checklist. In addition, fasting blood sugar, serum lipids including triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and high and low density lipoproteins (HDL and LDL) of the study participants were assessed. The ET program was comprised of 24 exercise sessions, scheduled over 8 weeks, and all tests were measured at the beginning and after completion of the ET protocol.

Results: The ET protocol significantly decreased body mass index (BMI) and mean subcutaneous fat thicknesses of quadriceps, triceps, and suprailiac among the participants.

Conclusion: The ET protocol had significant impacts on clinical characteristics of patients with metabolic disorders. It is suggested that multicentric studies with higher sample size be conducted in the future for the better assessment of ET protocol. Furthermore, the use of ET is recommended as part of the management protocol of patients with metabolic disorders and obesity.