Effects of an arm cycloergometer session on morbid obese women (acute exercise effect on morbid obese women)

Abstract

Introduction: The number of morbidly obese individuals has risen in percentages in comparison with different obesity levels and there are very few studies exploring the possibilities of physical exercise for such population. Objectives: Verify the possibility of morbid obese to perform a 30-minute session of mild to moderate continuous aerobic exercise, analyzing the Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) 30 minutes after exercise in addition to the acute cardiovascular effects. Materials and methods: A clinical study was developed with 14 obese, morbidly sedentary pre-bariatric surgery women, aged between 28 and 51 years old. The patients took part in a clinical analysis, which consisted of body composition, maximal stress test and a 30 minutes-exercise session in an arm cycle ergometer, preceded by 3 minutes of warm up before any physical examination. A mild to moderate intensity was used at a reserve heart rate (HR) between 55 and 69% of maximal heart rate at moderate intensity. Energy exercise expenditure, EPOC, and the acute responses of the HR, blood pressure (BP) and oxygen saturation were checked and analyzed. Results: Out the 15 patients evaluated, 14 were able to complete the prescribed exercise session within an average expenditure of 131.5 kcal in the exercise and 37.2 in EPOC. The only patient who could not complete the task was due to pain in her shoulder. No patient demonstrated desaturation or abnormalities for HR and BP. Conclusions: These findings indicate that physical exercise in an arm cycle ergometer may be an alternative at improving health levels of morbidly obese patients, as it does not promote oxygen desaturation and shows expected standard responses for heart rate and blood pressure.