EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL
APRIL 30, 2007
APS Contact
Donna Krupa
Office: (301) 634-7209
Cell: (703) 967-2751
dkrupa@the-aps.org
Newsroom Opens at 12:00 p.m.
Saturday April 28
APS Newsroom
East Registration Area
Washington Convention Center
APS Press Room: (202) 249-4174
For People With Mild To
Moderate Multiple Sclerosis (Ms), Aerobic Exercise Can Reduce
The Risk Of Coronary Artery Disease
WASHINGTON – Multiple
sclerosis (MS) is a degenerative disease affecting the central nervous
system of 400,000 Americans with 200 more diagnosed each week. The disease
causes reduced nerve function and consequently a variety of symptoms. The
most commonly reported symptoms include muscle weakness, spasticity, excess
fatigue and depression, which often results in a vicious cycle of reduced
mobility and decreased physical activity. Reduced activity level predisposes
people with MS to be at increased risk for secondary diseases such as
diabetes, osteoporosis and coronary artery disease (CAD).
In an effort to improve the health status of those with
MS, a team of researchers worked with individuals diagnosed with mild to
moderate disability in an eight week aerobic cycling regimen. The
investigators found that people with MS improved their aerobic fitness and
reduced their level of CAD risk.
These findings are drawn from a study entitled
Aerobic Exercise Influence on Coronary Artery Disease Risk Factors in
Multiple Sclerosis. It was conducted by Darpan Patel, Vanessa Castellano,
Sean McCoy, Ashley Blazina and Lesley White, all of the University of
Florida, Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, Gainesville, FL.
Patel will present the team’s findings at the 120th annual
meeting of the American Physiological Society (APS;
www.The-APS.org), being held as part of the Experimental Biology
conference (EB ’07). More than 12,000 scientific researchers will attend the
gathering being held April 28-May 2, 2007 at the Washington, DC Convention
Center.
The Study: Summary of
Methodology
Eleven MS patients and 11 matched controls (age, sex,
body mass index) participated in the study. MS patients were clinically
stable and had mild to moderate disability. All volunteers (MS and control
subjects) had physician clearance and met specific inclusion/exclusion
criteria.
Once enrolled, subjects participated in an eight week
supervised aerobic cycling exercise protocol wherein they exercised three
days per week. Each exercise session consisted of a three minute warm up at
a self-assessed comfortable speed followed by 30 minutes of cycle ergometry
(continuous or intermitant) at 60 percent of VO2peak, consistent
with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines for improving
health and fitness.
Subjects were assessed for CAD risk before and after
the exercise intervention, according to the guidelines of the American Heart
Association. Serum samples were obtained the morning after a 12-hour fast,
48 hours before the first and final exercise session of the training
program. Enzymatic colorimetric methods were used to analyze serum total
cholesterol, high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,
triglycerides and glucose. Anthropometric (body weight, BMI, body fat
percentage) measures and blood pressure were also taken at the same time.
Results
The researchers noted that:
following the intervention, aerobic fitness improved by 10
percent in MS subjects (Pre: 2.2 ± 0.4 L/min; Post: 2.5 ± 0.4) and 14
percent in controls (Pre: 2.4 ± 1.0 L/min; Post: 2.8 ± 1.0), respectively;
baseline assessment of CAD risk factors showed that the MS
subjects had significantly higher circulating levels of triglyceride (MS:
5.0 ± 2.2 mmol/L; Control: 1.2 ± 0.05) and total glucose (MS: 7.1 ± 1.1 mmol/L;
Control: 6.6 ± 0.5) compared to the control group;
after completion of 24 total cycling sessions, MS subjects
showed significant reductions in percent body fat, triglycerides and resting
diastolic blood pressure. Specifically, there was a 6 percent decrease in
percent body fat (pre: 29.6 ± 5.8 percent; post: 27.9 ± 7.6), a 23 percent
decrease in triglycerides (pre: 7.75 ± 2.2 mmol/L; post: 5.80 ± 1.8) while
diastolic blood pressure dropped 5 mmHg (pre: 80.7 ± 11.1 mmHg; post: 75.0 ±
8.1). Relative improvements in the number of risk factors were observed in
7 of 11 MS participants; and
the control subjects showed significant decrease in fasting
glucose (pre: 6.6 ± 0.5 mmol/L; post: 5.9 ± 0.4). Additionally, four of 11
subjects reduced their relative CAD risk by at least one risk factor.
Discussion/Conclusions
The results of this study support earlier work done by
this research team, which showed exercise was associated with reduced
individual CAD risk factors among resistance trained MS subjects. The
results suggest that people with mild to moderate MS are capable of
improving their aerobic fitness to levels similar to their non-MS
counterparts. Thus, while physical inactivity may predispose MS patients to
have increased CAD risk, MS-related symptoms do not preclude this group from
potentially reducing their risk factors through exercise.
***
The
American Physiological Society (APS) has been an integral part of the
scientific discovery process since it was established in 1887. Physiology
is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function to create
health or disease.
# # #
NOTE TO EDITORS: The APS annual meeting is part
of the Experimental Biology 2007 (EB ’07) gathering and will be held April
28-May 2, 2007 at the Washington, DC Convention Center. To schedule an
interview with Mr. Patel please contact Donna Krupa at 301.634.7209 (direct
dial), 703.967.2751 (cell) or
DKrupa@the-APS.org.
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