RESUMO
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), a term encompassing various disorders affecting the heart and blood vessels, includes coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD is primarily due to the development of atherosclerotic plaques that disrupt blood flow, oxygenation, and nutrient delivery to the myocardium. Risk factors contributing to CAD progression include smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), dyslipidaemia, and obesity. While aerobic exercise (AE) has shown promising results in controlling CVD risk factors, the impact of resistance training (RT) has not been extensively investigated. This review aims to describe the effects of RT on CVD risk factors based on studies retrieved from PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Both isometric and isotonic RT have been found to decrease systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure, or mean arterial pressure, with SBP showing a more significant reduction. Hypertensive patients engaging in RT alongside a calorie-restricted diet demonstrated significant improvements in blood pressure. RT is associated with increased nitric oxide bioavailability, sympathetic modulation, and enhanced endothelial function. In type-2 DM patients, 8-12 weeks of RT led to improvements in fasting blood glucose levels, insulin secretion, metabolic syndrome risk, and glucose transporter numbers. Combining AE with RT had a more significant impact in reducing insulin resistance and enhancing blood glucose compared to performing exercises separately. It also significantly decreased total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein levels while increasing high-density lipoprotein within 12 weeks of application. However, improvements are considered insignificant when lipid levels are already low to normal at baseline. The administration of RT resulted in weight loss and improved body mass index, with more pronounced effects seen when combining AE with RT and a calorie-restricted diet. Considering these results, the administration of RT, either alone or in combination with AE, proves beneficial in rehabilitating CAD patients by improving various risk factors.
RESUMO
Background: The diaphragm is the primary muscle responsible for breathing. Weakness in the diaphragm will result in breathing difficulties. The micro-RPM (respiratory pressure meter) is a non-invasive testing device to measure respiratory muscle strength, which is not always feasible, while thoracic expansion measurements are easy to do. Aim: This study constructs a prediction formula for a maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) value from thoracic expansion measurements. Methods: This study was quantitative with a cross-sectional design. Participants were healthy adults aged 20-40 years, with normal Mini-Mental State Examinations, body mass index, spirometry, and moderate activity levels. The tests performed were MIP and thoracic expansion measurements at three levels: axilla (L1), the fourth intercostal space (L2), and at processus xiphoideus (L3). The data were analyzed using an unpaired t-test and multivariate. Results: The mean MIP for males (81.51 ± 13.90 cmH2O) was significantly greater than females (63.17 ± 15.89 cmH2O) (P = 0.0001). These findings were not different with the Chinese, Indian, Mangalorean, and Malaysian populations because they are all of Asian ethnicity. Thoracic expansion L2 (r = 0.463, P = 0.0001) and L3 (r = 0.502, P = 0.0001) were moderately correlated with MIP, whereas thoracic expansion L2, L3 combined with gender had a weak effect on MIP. The prediction formula was: MIP = 56.802 + 2.387 + L2 + 13.904 + Gender * and MIP = 53.289+ 3.561 + L3 + 9.504 + Gender *, * 0 = female; 1 = male. Conclusions: A prediction formula for MIP can be made using the thoracic expansion variable with gender as a determinant factor. A quick and easy measurement of thoracic expansion can be used as a mean of screening respiratory muscle strength in patient care.
