Should I modify how I exercise based on my cardiovascular disease risk factors?

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    Last Updated: October 13, 2024

    Different types of cardiovascular disease (CVD) may benefit most from different amounts, types, or doses of exercise, and major guidelines don’t provide such tailored advice. In 2018, a team of experts created a system called the EXercise Prescription in Everyday practice & Rehabilitative Training (EXPERT) tool to help clinicians give their patients tailored exercise advice based on their needs.

    The team released a consensus statement that provides specific exercise recommendations for several cardiovascular risk states based on the evidence they considered.[1] Some of the team’s recommendations are summarized below.

    Each recommendation is accompanied by a grade denoting the level of the recommendation.

    A” indicates the recommendation is supported by high-quality systematic reviews or randomized controlled trials that are directly relevant for the population at hand.

    B” indicates high-quality observational evidence or inference from randomized trials supports the recommendation.

    C” indicates the recommendation is supported by well-conducted case-control or cohort studies with overall consistent results that could be applicable to the target population.

    D” indicates the recommendation is supported by poorer-quality observational evidence, inference from higher-quality observational evidence, or expert opinion.

    Exercise recommendations by CVD risk factors

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    Reference: Hansen et al. Sports Med. 2018.[1]

    References

    1. ^Hansen D, Niebauer J, Cornelissen V, Barna O, Neunhäuserer D, Stettler C, Tonoli C, Greco E, Fagard R, Coninx K, Vanhees L, Piepoli MF, Pedretti R, Ruiz GR, Corrà U, Schmid JP, Davos CH, Edelmann F, Abreu A, Rauch B, Ambrosetti M, Braga SS, Beckers P, Bussotti M, Faggiano P, Garcia-Porrero E, Kouidi E, Lamotte M, Reibis R, Spruit MA, Takken T, Vigorito C, Völler H, Doherty P, Dendale PExercise Prescription in Patients with Different Combinations of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: A Consensus Statement from the EXPERT Working GroupSports Med.(2018 Aug)