Low-intensity Exercise in Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is currently one of the major threats to health in highly developed societies. A recent study has demonstrated that depression may be significantly associated with MetS in people aged 60 years or over. The more components of MetS that are evident in the individual, the more depressive symptoms this individual is likely to exhibit. MetS treatment is essentially founded on implementing lifestyle changes which involve regular physical activity and healthy dietary habits. Systematically undertaking exercise has a beneficial influence on health, particularly on cardiovascular system functions as well as the quality of life and depression status in middle-aged and older women with MetS. Previous work has shown moderate or high intensity exercise to be optimal for the treatment of MetS. Nevertheless, many patients with MetS have hypertension and obesity. Therefore, for safety reasons, the patient's condition during intensive group exercises should be constantly monitored by a physician or specialized equipment, which generates costs and may limit the availability of this type of intervention. Hence, the investigator's aim was to determine the impact of 12 weeks of low-intensity exercise, combined with psychoeducation, on the severity of depression symptoms and self-perceived stress in women with MetS.