Effects of Exercise Mode on Improving Cardiovascular Function and Cardiorespiratory Fitness After Bariatric Surgery: A Narrative Review.
Abeer M Mahmoud, Andréa Lúcia Gonçalves da Silva, Larissa Delgado André and 7 others
PMID 35034058WHAT IT FOUND
Aerobic exercise improves cardiorespiratory fitness in bariatric surgery patients, often without additional weight loss.
Resistance training alone did not improve fitness but helped maintain muscle. Combining both is recommended to maximize health benefits and prevent muscle loss, though evidence remains limited and protocols need standardization.
Key findings
01Aerobic exercise training improved cardiorespiratory fitness in patients following bariatric surgery compared to non-training groups, with benefits observed even when normalized for muscle mass.
02Resistance training alone did not improve cardiorespiratory fitness in bariatric patients, despite protocols being safe and well-supervised.
03Combined aerobic and resistance training minimized muscle loss following bariatric surgery compared to aerobic training alone, while also improving cardiorespiratory fitness.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The review is a narrative summary, not a systematic review or meta-analysis, so it lacks the statistical power and bias control of those methods. Most included studies had small sample sizes and varied significantly in exercise protocols (intensity, duration, start time), making direct comparisons difficult. Data on long-term adherence and the sustainability of exercise-induced benefits beyond the intervention period are scarce. The review highlights a lack of evidence regarding specific physiological outcomes like vascular function and ventilatory efficiency in this population.
Declared interests
All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that exercise will lead to additional weight loss in these patients; the primary benefit for cardiorespiratory fitness appears to be independent of further weight reduction, driven instead by metabolic and muscular adaptations.