Resistance Training May Promote Heart Health Among Women With MS
Lower-body resistance training may reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease among women with multiple sclerosis who can walk.
In the trial, 12 women with MS who were able to walk underwent lower-body resistance training twice weekly for eight weeks. Resistance training is a type of exercise that increases muscle strength through weight lifting.
According to the results, strength in the muscles that are used to extend the knee and to flex the ankle improved significantly. Furthermore, fatigue reported by the patients significantly decreased. Levels of triglycerides, which are a form of fat in the blood, also decreased.
The investigators did not observe a change in body weight, body fat, blood pressure, blood sugar, total cholesterol or HDL cholesterol.
Nevertheless, the number of risk factors that were borderline for coronary heart disease for each subject did decline following the exercise period.
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