The journalCirculation(IF 23.054) recently published an article in the "Cardiology News" topic column, detailing the latest research of the team of Professor Liu Suixin from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, and the cardiac rehabilitation team from the Mayo Clinic in the United States in the field of cardiac rehabilitation.
Original article published on Circulation
The study found that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can significantly reduce total body fat and abdominal fat distribution in patients with myocardial infarction and metabolic syndrome, while increasing muscle mass. This series of studies was first published in the form of two Abstracts in theJournal of the American College of Cardiology(IF: 18.639), and was orally presented at the 68th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) in March 2019, which has aroused strong repercussions.
Increased body fat content, abdominal obesity, and decreased skeletal muscle mass are important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and important reasons for poor prognosis. Exercise is an effective way to lose weight. The current exercise program (moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT)) can reduce weight, but has no specific effects of reducing fat, lowering abdominal fat distribution and increasing skeletal muscle mass. A large number of studies have shown that HIIT, i.e., multiple short-term high-intensity strength or aerobic training with short-term low-intensity recovery training, can improve athletes' excise capacity and sports performance.
Professor Liu Suixin began to pay attention to the HIIT exercise program in 2015. In 2018, he published an article entitled "Healthy Young Men's Cardiovascular Response to HIIT" inChinese Journal of Hypertension, 2018, 26(7): 634-38. In recent years, the joint study with Mayo Clinic found that a 12-week HIIT-based cardiac rehabilitation intervention is more effective than traditional aerobic exercise in reducing body fat content, reducing waist circumference and increasing skeletal muscle mass in the patients with myocardial infarction; and in the studies of the patients with metabolic syndrome, the same result was obtained. These studies have for the first time found that HIIT can improve the proportion and distribution of body fat components in the patients with cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome, suggesting that HIIT may be the first choice for the exercise therapy in the patients with cardiovascular diseases and obesity and metabolic syndrome, and has important clinical significance.
Professor Liu Suixin's team has been committed to cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders for many years, especially the studies on the exercise intervention to insulin resistance. He has received three National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) grants and nine provincial and ministerial-level funds to support a series of clinical and basic research. More than 30 related papers have been published, including 2 papers published in JCR-1 journals and 6 papers published in JCR-2 journals. In addition to focusing on basic research, while constantly improving the standardized comprehensive rehabilitation therapies on various coronary heart diseases, including myocardial infarction, heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, etc., they continue to explore new technologies. For example, they are the first unit in China to carry out aerobic-resistance training joint therapy for heart disease, the first to promote hand-evaluation technology in China, the first to use portable tools (such as heart rate monitor, elastic band, etc.) and self-made "elastic belt mental rehabilitation exercises" to guide the community and family rehabilitation. Through many years of practice, they have explored a road of the Xiangya heart rehabilitation development with Chinese characteristics, which has been highly recognized in the industry. In addition, the team focused on promoting the heart rehabilitation in China from the academic level, and has successfully held the National Heart Rehabilitation Training Course and the International Heart Rehabilitation Forum for ten times, which has become an elite academic conference in China.
Source: Xiangya Hospital
