Enhancing Cardiovascular Health in Multiple Sclerosis: The Impact of Physical Activity

Enhancing Cardiovascular Health in Multiple Sclerosis: The Impact of Physical Activity

November 18, 2024 Catherine Williams - Chief Editor Tech

Title: Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health in Adults with Multiple Sclerosis

A study published in November 2024 in Neurology by Lin et al. examines how physical activity affects cardiovascular (CV) health in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). The researchers aimed to review existing evidence on the impact of physical activity on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors within this group.

The researchers conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from six databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, Embase, and SPORTDiscuss, up to August 2024. They compared physical activity interventions against controls (either no intervention or alternative activity). The study quality was assessed by two independent reviewers using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3.

The review included 30 studies in the qualitative synthesis and 21 studies in the meta-analysis, which involved 1,052 participants. The findings showed that physical activity significantly improved CV fitness. Key improvements included:

  • VO₂ peak: Mean difference (MD) = 166.77; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 62.77 to 272.77; P = 0.002.
  • Heart Rate (HR) peak: MD = 3.02; 95% CI: 1.16 to 4.87; P = 0.001.
  • Peak Power Output: MD = 24.28; 95% CI: 5.73 to 42.83; P = 0.01.

Physical activity also reduced several CVD risk factors:

  • Triglycerides: MD = -13.64; 95% CI: -9.36 to -17.92; P = 0.02.
  • Body Fat Percentage: MD = -1.56; 95% CI: -2.36 to -0.76; P = 0.0001.

The study concluded that engaging in physical activity is beneficial for improving cardiovascular fitness and lowering traditional cardiovascular risk factors in adults with MS.