The Effects of Physical Training on Quality of Life, Aerobic Capacity, and Cardiac Function in Older Patients With Heart Failure: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Aim: The purposes of this meta-analysis were to quantify the effectiveness of physical training on quality of life (QoL), aerobic capacity, and cardiac functioning in older patients with heart failure (HF) and evaluate dose–response relationships of training variables (frequency, volume, and duration).Methods: Scholarly databases (e.g., PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and Scopus) were searched, identifying randomized controlled trials that investigated the effectiveness of different training modes on QoL (assessed by the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire), aerobic capacity (assessed by the 6 min walk test) and cardiac function (assessed by left ventricular ejection fraction).Results: Twenty five studies were included with a total of 2,409 patients. Results showed that exercise training improved total QoL (small ES = −0.69; 95% CI −1.00 to 0.38; p < 0.001), aerobic capacity (small ES = 0.47; 95% CI 0.15–0.71; p = 0.002) and cardiac function (moderate ES = 0.91; 95% CI 0.37–1.45; p = 0.001). In addition, univariate analyses revealed the moderating variable ‘training mode' significantly influenced aerobic capacity (Q = 9.97; p = 0.007), whereby, resistance training had the greatest effect (ES = 1.71; 95% CI 1.03–2.39; p < 0.001), followed by aerobic training (ES = 0.51; 95% CI 0.30–0.72; p < 0.001), and combined training (ES = 0.15; 95% CI −0.24 to 0.53; p = 0.45). Meta-regression analysis showed that only the duration of an intervention predicted the effect of physical training on QoL (coefficient = −0.027; p = 0.006), with shorter training durations (12 weeks) showing larger improvements.Conclusion: The present meta-analysis showed that physical training has positive effects on QoL, aerobic capacity, and cardiac function in older patients with HF. Practitioners should consider both training volume and mode when designing physical training programs in order to improve QoL and aerobic capacity in older patients with HF.

The Effect of Exercise on Glucoregulatory Hormones: A Countermeasure to Human Aging: Insights from a Comprehensive Review of the Literature

“…In particular, the glucoregulatory system that is characterized by important bio-molecules such as glucagon and insulin is critical to maintain the constancy of glucose in the internal milieu. While it is clear that exercise training improves fitness and physical capacity in older adults [15,16,17,18,19], whether exercise can improve the hormonal profiles of older adults remains contentious [20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27].…”

Dose-Response Relationship between Endurance Training Prescription Variables and Increases in Aerobic Performance of Healthy and Unhealthy Middle and Very Old Individuals Aged 70 Years and Older: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

“…A structured form was used to extract data by two authors. According to some meta-analyses [ 19 , 20 ] and the included studies, training prescription variables were grouped into the following areas: (i) characteristics of participants: health status (healthy vs. unhealthy) and gender (male vs. female vs. combined) and (ii) training prescription variables including training duration in weeks (<13 vs. ≥13 weeks), weekly training frequency (3 vs. 4–5 sessions per week), and session duration (20–30 min vs. 31–45 min vs. 46–65 min).…”

“…Since the values of the training prescription variables (namely, training duration in weeks, weekly training frequency, and session duration) varied among the studies, cut-off/threshold values were identified based on median values and previous meta-analysis [ 19 ] to allow comparing the various studies.…”

The Future of Exercise-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation for Patients With Heart Failure

“…A meta-analysis that included studies on older patients demonstrated a positive effect of physical training on QoL and aerobic capacity regardless of the ET protocols ( 78 ).…”