Zulkarnain Jaafar1,2, Yi Z Lim3. 1. Sports Medicine Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - zulkarnainj@um.edu.my. 2. Sports and Exercise Medicine Research and Education Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - zulkarnainj@um.edu.my. 3. Sports Medicine Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Heart rate recovery (HRR) has been used as a prognostication marker of health. A slower drop in HRR is linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality. Since aerobic exercise has been shown to have favourable effects on HRR, we aimed to compare the effects of two different aerobic exercise doses on HRR among a sedentary adult population. METHODS: A pragmatic randomised controlled trial was conducted on 29 healthy sedentary adults (7 males and 22 females) in a 12-week exercise programme. They were randomly assigned to Group A (75min/week) n=15 or Group B (150min/week) n=14 of moderate intensity aerobic exercise groups. HRR at 1-minute (HRR1), HRR at 2-minute (HRR2), and peak oxygen uptake (VO2Peak) were measured pre- and post-intervention. RESULTS: The improvements of HRR1 and HRR2 were seen in both groups but was only significant (p<0.05) for Group A with HRR1, -4.07 beats (post 24.47±6.42 - pre 20.40±5.51, p=0.018) and HHR2, -3.93 beats (post 43.40±13.61 - pre 39.47±10.68, p=0.046). Group B showed increment of HRR1, -1.14 beats (post 21.14±5.35 - pre 20.00±6.30, p=0.286) and HRR2, -2.5 beats, (post 39.36±8.01 - pre 36.86±9.57, p=0.221). Improvement of the VO2Peak was only significant in Group B with an increment of 1.52±2.61 (p=0.049). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our study suggests that improvements in heart rate recovery (HRR1 and HRR2) among sedentary healthy adults can be achieved by engaging in moderate intensity exercise at a dose lower than the current recommended guidelines. The lower dose seems to be more attainable and may encourage exercise compliance. Future studies should further explore the effects of different exercise volumes on HRR in a larger sample size and also by controlling for BMI or gender.
BACKGROUND: Heart rate recovery (HRR) has been used as a prognostication marker of health. A slower drop in HRR is linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality. Since aerobic exercise has been shown to have favourable effects on HRR, we aimed to compare the effects of two different aerobic exercise doses on HRR among a sedentary adult population. METHODS: A pragmatic randomised controlled trial was conducted on 29 healthy sedentary adults (7 males and 22 females) in a 12-week exercise programme. They were randomly assigned to Group A (75min/week) n=15 or Group B (150min/week) n=14 of moderate intensity aerobic exercise groups. HRR at 1-minute (HRR1), HRR at 2-minute (HRR2), and peak oxygen uptake (VO2Peak) were measured pre- and post-intervention. RESULTS: The improvements of HRR1 and HRR2 were seen in both groups but was only significant (p<0.05) for Group A with HRR1, -4.07 beats (post 24.47±6.42 - pre 20.40±5.51, p=0.018) and HHR2, -3.93 beats (post 43.40±13.61 - pre 39.47±10.68, p=0.046). Group B showed increment of HRR1, -1.14 beats (post 21.14±5.35 - pre 20.00±6.30, p=0.286) and HRR2, -2.5 beats, (post 39.36±8.01 - pre 36.86±9.57, p=0.221). Improvement of the VO2Peak was only significant in Group B with an increment of 1.52±2.61 (p=0.049). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our study suggests that improvements in heart rate recovery (HRR1 and HRR2) among sedentary healthy adults can be achieved by engaging in moderate intensity exercise at a dose lower than the current recommended guidelines. The lower dose seems to be more attainable and may encourage exercise compliance. Future studies should further explore the effects of different exercise volumes on HRR in a larger sample size and also by controlling for BMI or gender.
Authors: José A Bragada; Raul F Bartolomeu; Pedro M Rodrigues; Pedro M Magalhães; João P Bragada; Jorge E Morais Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-09-08 Impact factor: 4.614