Effect of exercise training on diastolic function in metabolic syndrome

Abstract

It has been reported that metabolic syndrome (MetS) impairs left ventricular (LV) diastolic function. The objective of this study was to determine whether exercise training can improve LV diastolic function in individuals with MetS. Twenty-eight individuals with MetS (9 males, aged 60 ± 5 years) underwent a 1-year combined endurance and resistance exercise training program; maximal aerobic capacity (V̇O2max), blood pressure, blood markers, and LV diastolic function were measured at weeks 0, 12, 24, and 52 throughout the training. Pulsed wave Doppler echocardiography across the mitral valve was used to assess peak early flow velocity (E) and peak atrial flow velocity (A) to determine the E/A ratio. Individuals with MetS had a reversed E/A ratio, suggesting impaired LV relaxation, the first stage of LV diastolic dysfunction. Exercise training reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) (129 ± 14 to 120 ± 12 mm Hg; p < 0.01) and increased V̇O2max (29.2 ± 6.3 to 33.4 ± 6.5 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1); p < 0.01) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (1.04 ± 0.21 to 1.12 ± 0.25 mmol·L(-1); p = 0.02), but did not improve LV diastolic function. Individuals with an E/A ratio <1 at the start of training had a tendency toward an increased E/A ratio (p = 0.12) accompanied by significant decreases in SBP and increases in V̇O2max with exercise training. Combined resistance and aerobic exercise training improved cardiometabolic health but did not improve the impaired LV diastolic function of individuals with MetS.