Exercise improves physical activity and comorbidities in obese adults with asthma

Abstract

Obese adults with asthma have an increased number of comorbidities and reduced daily life physical activity (DLPA), which may worsen asthma symptoms. Exercise is recommended to improve asthma outcomes; however, the benefits of exercise for psychosocial comorbidities and DLPA have been poorly investigated. Aim: To assess the effects of exercise on DLPA, asthma symptoms and psychosocial comorbidities in obese adults with asthma. Methods: 55 obese asthmatics were randomly assigned to either a weight-loss program+exercise (WL+E group) or a weight-loss program+sham (WL+S group) (2xW for 3 months). DLPA (GT3X accelerometer), asthma symptoms (daily diary), sleep quality (Actisleep/ Berlin questionnaire) and anxiety and depression symptoms (HADs) were quantified before and after treatment. Results: After 3 months, the WL+E group presented a significant increase in DLPA (3,068±2,325 vs. 729±1,118 steps/day), in the moderate and vigorous PA (18.2±17.9 vs 7.9±13.8 minutes/day) and in light-intensity PA compared with the WL+S group; however, neither group showed significant changes in sedentary time. Significant improvements in the number of asthma-symptom-free days (14.5±9.6 vs. 8.6±11.4 d/mo), sleep efficiency (6.6±5.1 vs. 1.3±4.7%) and latency (-3.7±5.9 vs. 0.2±5.6 min) were also observed in the WL+E group. The proportion of patients with improvements in depression symptoms (76.4 vs. 16.6%) and a lower risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea (56.5 vs. 16.3%) was greater in the WL+E group than in the WL+S group (P Conclusions: Our results strongly suggest that exercise training in a weight loss program improves DLPA, sleep efficiency and depression and asthma symptoms in obese adults with asthma.