Heart rate and blood pressure response to exercise and recovery in subclinical hypothyroid patients

Effects of Whole-Body Vibration Exercises on Parameters Related to the Sleep Quality in Metabolic Syndrome Individuals: A Clinical Trial Study

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is an undesirable clinical condition with physiological, biochemical, clinical, and metabolic factors that contribute to increased cardiovascular risks (CR). A poor sleep quality might be found in obese and MetS individuals. Whole-body vibration (WBV) exercise has been used on the management of MetS individuals. This clinical trial investigated the effect of WBV exercise on parameters related to the sleep quality in MetS individuals. After randomization, nine individuals (seven women and two men) were exposed to a fixed frequency (FF) and ten individuals (eight women and two men) were exposed to a variable frequency (VF). Both groups performed the protocol twice a week, for 6 weeks. All of the evaluations were performed before the first and after the last sessions. Anthropometric and cardiovascular parameters were measured before and after the 6-week intervention. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Berlin Questionnaire were also used to evaluate the quality of the sleep. A significant (p ≤ 0.05) reduction of the waist circumference in the VFG and an increase of the heart rate were found in the FFG and VFG group. The score of the PSQI of the both groups decreased significantly (p = 0.01). The score of the ESS decreased (p = 0.04) only in the VF group. The scores of the Berlin Questionnaire were not altered in both groups. In conclusion, WBV intervention was capable in interfering with physiological mechanisms with effects on the WC and HR, leading to the improvement of the quality of sleep in MetS individuals. WBV exercise might be an important clinical intervention to the management of some factors associated with poor quality of sleep (FFG and VFG) and in the daytime sleepiness in MetS individuals with variable frequencies (5–16 Hz) (VFG).

Exercise training-induced changes in metabolic syndrome parameters, carotid wall thickness, and thyroid function in middle-aged women with subclinical hypothyroidism

This study analyzed the differences in effects of a 12-week combination of exercise training program with resistance training and aerobic exercises on the risk factors of metabolic syndrome, carotid wall thickness, and thyroid function, between subclinical hypothyroidism patients and obese groups, in middle-aged women. Subjects consisted of either 20 middle-aged women in the subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) group or 20 obese (body mass indices [BMI], ≥ 25 kg/m²) women without hypothyroidism in the obese (OB) group. The body composition, blood lipid factors, hormones associated with thyroid functions, blood pressure (BP), and carotid intima-media thickness were measured, while physical fitness was ascertained. In the SCH group, waist circumference (WC) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol values were outside the normal ranges, while WC and systolic BP (SBP) were outside the normal ranges in the OB group. Following the 12-week training program, significantly positive changes occurred in body fat percentage, sit and reach test results, and SBP (p < 0.05) in the SCH group, while in the OB group, significantly positive changes in BMI, WC, sit and reach test results, SBP, and diastolic BP (DBP, p < 0.05) were observed. In addition, both groups showed significant decreases in intima-media thickness of the right carotid bifurcation (p < 0.05). However, in the two groups, the 12-week exercise training program did not have similar significant impact on the hormones related to thyroid functions and blood lipids. Therefore, further research on exercise training that can effectively induce changes in the hormones associated with thyroid functions in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism is necessary.

Heart rate kinetics during exercise in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism

Studies suggest that patients with subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) have sympathovagal imbalance, which could lead to a slower heart rate (HR) response in the transition from rest to exercise. Thus the objective of this study was to investigate the behavior of the HR kinetics in patients with SH during the transition from rest to exercise. The study included 18 SH women [thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) = 6.95 ± 2.94 μIU/ml and free thyroxine (FT4) = 0.96 ± 0.15 ng/dl] and 17 euthyroid women (TSH = 2.28 ± 0.84 μIU/ml and FT4 = 0.98 ± 0.07 ng/dl). Both groups were matched for physical activity, menopausal status, and age. The HR kinetics was obtained during the course of a constant-load exercise (50 W), for 6 min, in a cycle ergometer, and quantified from the mean response time (MRT), which is equivalent to the time taken to reach 63% of the HR at steady state. SH patients showed slower HR kinetics than the control group (MRT = 48.5 ± 17.6 vs. 36.0 ± 10.3 s, P = 0.015). The MRT has been shown to correlate with the level of physical activity ( r = −0.361; P = 0.033) and with the subjective perception of exertion at the end of the exercise ( r = 0.365; P = 0.031). It is concluded that SH patients have slower HR kinetics in the transition from rest to exercise compared with euthyroid women, with this impairment being associated with lower levels of physical activity.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Subclinical hypothyroidism patients have slower heart rate kinetics in the transition from rest to exercise when performing a constant-load exercise at 50 W.

Influence of a medium-impact exercise program on health-related quality of life and cardiorespiratory fitness in females with subclinical hypothyroidism: an open-label pilot study

Objective. To examine the influence of a medium-impact exercise program (MIEP) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and cardiorespiratory fitness (VO_2max) in females with subclinical hypothyroidism (sHT). Materials and Methods. We selected 17 sedentary women with sHT (mean age: 43.1 (standard deviation: 9.7) years). Participants carried out an MIEP consisting of 3 weekly sessions of 60 minutes during 12 weeks. Before and after the exercise program HRQoL was assessed by the SF-12v2 questionnaire, and VO_2max was evaluated by Rockport walk test. Results. After the 12-week intervention, the participants that performed an MIEP showed improvements in HRQoL in most domains, particularly the vitality domain by 7 points, the social functioning domain by 10 points, the mental health domain by 7 points, and the mental component summary by 7 points. One of the four domains within the physical component summary (general health domain) showed significant effect of the exercise intervention: 6 points. Moreover, the participants that performed exercise showed a higher VO_2max (28%; P < 0.01). Conclusion. After 12 weeks of medium-impact exercise program, there were remarkable improvements in HRQoL in most domains. Moreover, this exercise program proved to have a positive influence on cardiorespiratory fitness.