Physical exercise and Prader‐Willi syndrome: A systematic review

Abstract

Summary Objective The aim of this systematic review was to summarize evidence on the acute responses of individuals with Prader‐Willi syndrome (PWS) to physical exercise, and on the effectiveness of long‐term exercise interventions to improve the clinical manifestations of this syndrome. Design/methods Relevant articles were identified in the electronic databases PubMed, Medline, CINAHL and SPORTDiscus (from inception to December 2018). Twenty‐two studies including a total of 356 patients with PWS met all inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Results Patients with PWS present with a decreased physical performance and impaired cardiorespiratory (maximal oxygen consumption, heart rate recovery after exercise) and hormonal (growth hormone release) responses to exercise. Most long‐term exercise interventions have proven to decrease body mass while improving physical performance. Some benefits have also been reported in biochemical (glucose homeostasis, lipid profile) and biomechanical (gait pattern) variables, although there is controversy regarding the effects on body composition. No exercise‐related adverse events have been reported in patients with PWS. Conclusion Physical exercise seems to be safe and effective for improving several phenotypes in PWS, notably physical fitness. However, further research is needed to confirm these results and especially to corroborate whether exercise per se or combined with dietary intervention is an effective coadjuvant treatment for reducing body mass in these patients.

Current and emerging therapies for managing hyperphagia and obesity in Prader‐Willi syndrome: A narrative review

“…All the studies investigating the acute and long‐term responses to increased physical activity in individuals with PWS have recently been systematically reviewed; please refer to Morales et al for a detailed description of these studies . Compared with controls with normal weight and obesity, children with PWS exhibited a similar hormonal response to a single session of resistance training but no significant changes in epinephrine and norepinephrine after an endurance training session.…”

Myokine levels after resistance exercise in young adults with Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS)

“…In addition to restricting caloric intake, daily exercise is necessary to prevent morbid obesity and its complications in PWS (Cassidy & Driscoll, ; Grolla, Andrighetto, Parmigiano, et al, ; Morales et al, ). Programs for physical activity in PWS individuals usually consist mainly of aerobic exercise (Hirsch et al, ; Morales et al, ; Silverthorn & Hornak, ). Resistance exercises for strength training, however, may be particularly important to increase muscle mass in this population with hypotonia and abnormal body composition (Eiholzer et al, ).…”

Increasing physical activity in adult women with Prader–Willi syndrome: A transferability study

“…spontaneous PA performed independently of exercise training) in children with PWS but this has not been assessed in adults. As recently reviewed, different types of exercise programmes have been conducted in adults with PWS (Morales et al, ) and most programmes were supervised and performed in a residential or community setting (Cimolin et al, ; Grolla et al, ; Kaufman, Overton, Leggott, & Clericuzio, ; Shields, Bennell, Radcliffe, & Taylor, ; Silverthorne & Hornak, ). This literature review found that residential programmes that are organized several times per year and include dietary restriction, a high daily amount of supervised PA and a structured environment substantially reduced body mass over a long‐term period (Cimolin et al, ; Grolla et al, ; Kaufman et al, ).…”