Abstract
The effectiveness of two aerobic exercise programs on the modification of the metabolic syndrome (MS) components and its influence in reducing cardiovascular risk was evaluated in 16 sedentary women (30-66 years old). Patients were randomly divided into two exercise groups: continuous training (CE: 45 minutes at 65-70% of heart rate reserve or HRR) or interval training (IE: 5 x 3 minute intervals at 80-85% HRR with two minutes of active recovery at 65-70% HRR), and each participant gave previous informed consent. The components of MS were assessed according to the criteria for women of the National Cholesterol Education/Third Treatment Adult Panel, and cardiovascular risk factors at baseline and 16 weeks later. Data analyses were performed with the Wilcoxon signed test and the Mann-Whitney U-test (SPSS v. 12.0 Windows: p < 0.05). Both exercise programs were effective in the modification of a number of MS components (triglycerides, systolic/diastolic blood pressure), however IE had a higher percentage of patients without MS diagnosis at the end of the study (62.5%). The CE improved the physical fitness by increasing the VO₂peak and METs and decreasing heart rate recovery, which is reflected on the reduction of cardiovascular risk.
