Background: To assess the benefits of a 1-year lifestyle modification program on exercise capacity and diastolic function in men with left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) and coronary artery disease (CAD), according to glucose tolerance status.
Methods: Fifty-three men (62 ± 8 years; BMI: 27.3 ± 3.5 kg/m2) with LVDD and CAD were enrolled in a 1-year lifestyle modification program based on dietary management and increased physical activity. Patients were classified by using a 75 grams oral glucose tolerance test as having normal glucose tolerance (n = 16), prediabetes (n = 23), or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (n = 14). Cardiac morphology and function, visceral fat, and cardiac fat depots were measured using magnetic resonance imaging, whereas exercise capacity [cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF)] (VO2peak) was assessed with a maximal treadmill test.
Results: The 1-year lifestyle modification program was associated with reductions in body weight, and visceral and cardiac fat levels (all P < 0.05). CRF increased by 13% (24.9 ± 4.1 vs. 28.2 ± 4.8 mL O2/kg/min, P < 0.0001). Moreover, half of patients (53%) improved LV diastolic function in response to the lifestyle intervention. Multiple regression analyses revealed that age (partial R2 = 26.9, P < 0.0001) and presence of T2DM (partial R2 = 5.9, P = 0.04) were the stronger predictors of change in diastolic function, while favorable change in LV remodeling index was the best predictor of improvement in LV diastolic function after the lifestyle intervention (R2 = 21.9, P = 0.002).
Conclusions: Irrespective of glucose tolerance status, a 1-year lifestyle modification program in men with LVDD and CAD is associated with significant improvements in exercise capacity and LV diastolic function in more than half of patients.
Keywords: cardiac fat depot; coronary artery disease; diastolic function; exercise capacity; lifestyle modification program; type 2 diabetes mellitus.