Objective:

To identify changes in body composition after a phase II cardiac rehabilitation programme.

Materials and methods:

A group of 20 patients was followed up after at least 36 supervised sessions of exercise within a cardiac rehabilitation programme. The body composition (lean mass and fat mass) was measured before and after the programme using Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry.

Results:

Although it was found that the change in total fat mass was not significant, there was a strong positive correlation between the decrease in total fat mass in males and the decrease in visceral adipose tissue, with an r=0.85 (P=.0002). There was a significant increase in total lean mass of 1.76% (P=.053), highlighted in the lean mass of the legs with 5.21% (P=.001). The skeletal muscle mass index showed a statistically significant increase of 2.27% (P=.016), more notable in males. There was a non-significant increase (0.38 kg) in the mean weight. There was a significant change in metabolic equivalents (METS), with an increase from 2.62 to 6.35 MET (P<.0001), and an increase of 1.22% (P=.031) in basal metabolic rate.

Conclusion:

Although there was no change in body mass index, waist circumference, or total body fat, a cardiac rehabilitation programme significantly improved the tolerance to exercise. It also produced an increase in the skeletal muscle mass index, as well as the total lean mass, mainly in the legs.

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