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Autonomic cardiac function, body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness changes in adolescents after a multidisciplinary obesity treatment program: a feasibility study

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Abstract

Purpose

This feasibility study aimed to analyze the effects of a multidisciplinary (e.g., psychological, nutritional and water-based exercise interventions) obesity treatment program on resting heart rate variability (rHRV) indices according to the degree of excess body mass (overweight vs obesity) in adolescents. Additionally, we tested the association between changes in rHRV indices with changes in body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness.

Methods

Twenty-five adolescents completed the study, 11 from the overweight group (OWG) and 14 from the obese group (OBG) classified according to body mass index. Anthropometric measures, autonomic cardiac function (measured by rate-to-rate interval analyses), lean mass and body fat, and cardiorespiratory fitness were assessed prior to and after the 16-week intervention period.

Results

Both groups increased their parasympathetic indices (e.g., standard deviation 1) [OWG: Δ = 8.5 (1.7–15.3) ms; magnitude of change: “likely”; OBG: Δ = 11.4 (4.3–18.4) ms; “very likely”] and cardiorespiratory fitness [OWG: Δ = 2.0 (1.1–2.8) mL/kg/min; “likely”; OBG: Δ = 2.4 (1.5–3.3) mL/kg/min; “Almost certain”] with a slightly greater magnitude of change for the OBG. The OWG showed greater changes in body composition [e.g., body fat: Δ = −3.2 (–4.6 to −1.8) kg “Very likely”] when compared to the OBG [Δ = −2.8 (−4.4 to −1.3) kg “Possible”]. Inverse and large correlations were noted for changes in body fat markers (%) and changes in parasympathetic indices of rHRV (%) (i.e., rMSSD and SD1).

Conclusions

These results provide evidence that a multidisciplinary program improves parasympathetic indices, body composition, and cardiorespiratory fitness independent of the degree of excess body mass.

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Abbreviations

BMI:

Body mass index

HF:

High frequency

HRrest:

Resting heart rate

OBG:

Obese adolescent group

OWG:

Overweight adolescents group

rHRV:

Resting heart rate variability

rMSSD:

Square root of the mean of the squares of successive R–R interval differences

SD1:

Standard deviation 1 of instantaneous beat-to-beat R–R interval variability measured from Poincare plots

VO2max :

Maximal oxygen consumption

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the members of the Multiprofessional Nucleus of Obesity Treatment program for their contribution to data collection and intervention development; they also thank the Araucaria Foundation (Agreement 179/10, protocol 19213) and Capes (501100002322) for financial support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Multiprofessional Nucleus of Obesity Study, Department of Physical Education, State University of Maringa, Clinical Research Center of University Hospital of Maringa, 5790 Colombo Avenue, Jardim Universitário, Maringá, Paraná, 87020-900, Brazil

    João Carlos Locateli, Josiane Aparecida Alves Bianchini & Carlos Andres Lopera

  2. Department of Physical Education, Midwest State University of Parana, Guarapuava, Paraná, Brazil

    Danilo Fernandes da Silva

  3. Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research, CancerControl Alberta, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    Jessica McNeil

  4. Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Zachary M. Ferraro

  5. Applied Nutrition, Multiprofessional Nucleus of Obesity Study, Department of Physical Education, Clinical Research Center of University Hospital of Maringa, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil

    Nelson Nardo Junior

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  1. João Carlos Locateli
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  2. Danilo Fernandes da Silva
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  3. Josiane Aparecida Alves Bianchini
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  4. Carlos Andres Lopera
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  5. Jessica McNeil
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  6. Zachary M. Ferraro
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  7. Nelson Nardo Junior
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Josiane Aparecida Alves Bianchini.

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Funding

This study was funded by Araucaria Foundation (agreement 179/10, protocol 19213).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical standard

This study was approved by the local Ethics Committee (protocol 463/2009). All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study as well as their guardians.

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Locateli, J.C., da Silva, D.F., Bianchini, J.A.A. et al. Autonomic cardiac function, body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness changes in adolescents after a multidisciplinary obesity treatment program: a feasibility study. Sport Sci Health 14, 25–35 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-017-0396-z

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