Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2026 Jul 30:S0003-9993(26)00851-8. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2026.07.020. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Overweight or obese patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) often exhibit reduced cardiopulmonary fitness and increased cardiometabolic risk. This study aimed to compare the effects of 4-week supervised high-intensity interval training (HIIT) versus moderate-intensity interval training (MIIT) on exercise capacity and metabolic health in this population.
DESIGN: Retrospective study.
SETTING: A tertiary care hospital.
PARTICIPANTS: One hundred forty-five overweight or obese patients with CVD who completed 12 supervised exercise sessions between 2021 and 2024 were included, including 63 who engaged in HIIT and 82 in MIIT.
INTERVENTIONS: Both groups completed 12 sessions of structured aerobic interval training. The MIIT group performed moderate-intensity intervals at 40% - 55% of peak power, while the HIIT group performed high-intensity intervals at 80% - 90% of peak power.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumference, and metabolic biomarkers were assessed before and after the rehabilitation programs.
RESULTS: Both HIIT and MIIT significantly improved exercise workload time, peak oxygen uptake (peak VO2), BMI, waist circumference, metabolic syndrome (MetS) z-score, and MetS components (all p < 0.05). Compared with MIIT, HIIT induced a greater increase in exercise workload time, with no other between-group differences in the remaining outcomes after Benjamini-Hochberg correction. In exploratory analyses, improvements in peak VO2 were positively correlated with reductions in body weight and BMI within the HIIT group.
CONCLUSIONS: Short-term structured aerobic exercise, including HIIT and MIIT, improves cardiopulmonary fitness and metabolic health, supporting its integration into cardiac rehabilitation programs for overweight or obese patients with CVD.
PMID:42532212 | DOI:10.1016/j.apmr.2026.07.020