Aerobic exercise influence on coronary artery disease risk factors in multiple sclerosis

Abstract

It remains unknown whether patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are able to participate in enough physical activity to achieve health-related benefits and to reduce their risk for coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD risk factors were evaluated before and after 8 weeks of aerobic exercise in MS and matched control subjects. Eleven ambulatory MS subjects (8 women and 3 men) and eleven healthy controls matched for age, sex, body mass index and VO2peak performed 30 min of aerobic cycling at 60% VO2peak 3 days a week for 8 consecutive weeks. At baseline, serum triglycerides (MS: 5.0 ± 2.2 mmol/L; Control: 1.2 ± 0.05) and total glucose (MS: 7.1 ± 1.1 mmol/L; Control: 6.6 ± 0.5) were significantly higher in the MS group compared to the control group. Following the intervention, MS subjects showed significant decreases in triglycerides (−23%) while glucose (−11%) significantly decreased in control subjects. Other indices of CAD risk including LDL, HDL, total cholesterol (TC) and TC/HDL ratio remained unchanged with training. Based on the American Heart Association risk factor threshold criteria, 36% of both MS and control subjects showed a decrease in one or more CAD risk factors following the exercise intervention. While physical inactivity may predispose MS patients to have increased CAD risk, MS related symptoms do not preclude this group from possibly reducing risk factors with exercise training.