The Effect Of Weight Loss And Aerobic Exercise Training On The American Heart Association'S Life'S Simple 7

There is limited evidence on the impact of weight loss via caloric restriction and aerobic exercise on Life’s Simple 7 (LS7), a health assessment tool used by the American Heart Association to promote and track cardiovascular health (CVH) via modifiable risk factors and health behaviors. Individuals with obesity have a greater prevalence of traditional and non-traditional cardiometabolic risk factors than lean individuals. Objective: Examine the effect of a weight loss intervention on LS7 and assess predictors of change in adults with obesity. Methods: Twenty-six adults (44.9 ± 9.7 years; weight: 93.9 ± 11.1 kg; body mass index: 34.1 ± 3.4 kg/m 2 ) participated in a 10-week medical weight loss program (OPTIFAST) and supervised exercise training program (50-75% VO 2 max) to achieve clinically significant weight loss (≥7% body weight). Poor, intermediate, and ideal CVH categories were defined as scores 0 to 4, 5 to 9, and 10 to 14, respectively. Baseline and post-weight loss LS7 scores were calculated via participant demographics, smoking status, anthropometry, physical activity level, diet intake, and blood lab reports. Paired samples t-test and Pearson’s correlations were used. Results: Mean weight loss was significant (-9.2 ± 3.6 kg, p < 0.001). Mean LS7 score significantly increased from baseline to weight loss (7.3 ± 1.5 vs. 9.6 ± 1.2, respectively, p < 0.001) and 57.7% of participants (15 of 26) improved to ideal CVH following weight loss. A significant inverse association was observed between change in LS7 and systolic blood pressure ( r = -0.41, p < 0.05), total cholesterol ( r = -0.45, p < 0.05), and glucose ( r = -0.41, p < 0.05). There were no further significant relationships with LS7 (i.e. change in weight, body mass index, physical activity, diastolic blood pressure). Discussion: A combined caloric restriction and aerobic exercise training intervention improved a multitude of cardiovascular disease risk factors. Previous epidemiological studies indicate meeting the ideal LS7 metrics is associated with 78% and 49% reduced risk of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality, respectively. Thus, the long-term modification of health behaviors and cardiometabolic risk factors to achieve ideal cardiovascular health may reduce risks of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in individuals with obesity.