The prevalence of adverse cardiometabolic responses to exercise training with evidence-based practice is low

Abstract

Background

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of individuals who experienced exercise-induced adverse cardiometabolic response (ACR), following an evidence-based, individualized, community exercise program.

Methods

Prevalence of ACR was retrospectively analyzed in 332 adults (190 women, 142 men) before and after a 14-week supervised community exercise program. ACR included an exercise training-induced increase in systolic blood pressure of ≥10 mmHg, increase in plasma triglycerides (TG) of >37.0 mg/dL (≥0.42 mmol/L), or decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) of >4.0 mg/dL (0.12 mmol/L). A second category of ACR was also defined – this was ACR that resulted in a metabolic syndrome component (ACR-risk) as a consequence of the adverse response.

Results

According to the above criteria, prevalence of ACR between baseline and post-program was systolic blood pressure (6.0%), TG (3.6%), and HDL-C (5.1%). The prevalence of ACR-risk was elevated TG (3.2%), impaired fasting blood glucose (2.7%), low HDL-C (2.2%), elevated waist circumference (1.3%), and elevated blood pressure (0.6%).

Conclusion

Evidence-based practice exercise programming may attenuate the prevalence of exercise training-induced ACR. Our findings provide important preliminary evidence needed for the vision of exercise prescription as a personalized form of preventative medicine to become a reality.

Keywords:

• evidence-based research
• cardiovascular health
• community-based research
• metabolic health

Acknowledgments

No financial support was provided to conduct this study. The authors would like to acknowledge all participants and students involved with the Community Fitness Program.

Disclosure

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.