Comparison of body composition and body fat distribution of patients following a cardiac rehabilitation program and sedentary patients

Objective: The aim of this investigation was to analyze differences in body composition and body fat distribution between subjects following a structured cardiac rehabilitation program (CRP) and subjects not involved in any CRP. Methods: Body composition and body fat distribution were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in 62 male subjects, white, who had been diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD). The sample came from two groups: a CRP group (n=31) who had been engaged in phase IV of a CRP for more than a year (age: 58 +/- 10 years), and a non-CRP group (n=31) who were not involved in any CRP (age: 59 +/- 12 years). Results: The non-CRP group showed higher values than the CRP group in the following variables: body weight (84.924 +/- 11.250 kg vs. 79.077 +/- 10.050 kg, p<0.05), BMI (29.0 +/- 3.2 kg/m(2) vs. 27.3 +/- 2.6 kg/m2, p<0.05), body fat (BF) (24.584 +/- 6.696 kg vs. 20.010 +/- 7.340 kg, p<0.05), % BF (28.6 +/- 4.9% vs. 24.7 +/- 6.7%, p<0.05), trunk BF (14.563 +/- 4.408 kg vs. 11.430 +/- 4.743 kg, p<0.01), % trunk BF (32.8 +/- 6.0% vs. 27.4 +/- 8.5%, p<0.01), abdominal BF (2.934 +/- 1.068 kg vs. 2.083 +/- 1.058 kg, p<0.01), % abdominal BF (37.2 +/- 6.1% vs. 31.3 +/- 9.4%, p<0.01), visceral BF (2.401 +/- 0.693 kg vs. 1.731 +/- 0.826 kg, p<0.01), % visceral BF (35.5 +/- 5.7% vs. 29.6 +/- 9.1%, p<0.01), abdominal subcutaneous BF (0.533 +/- 0.421 kg vs. 0.353 +/- 0.257 kg, p=0.05) and abdominal BF/BF ratio (0.12 +/- 0.03 vs. 0.10 +/- 0.02, p<0.05). There were no significant differences in the other variables studied, including total and regional fat-free mass. Conclusion: These results show that the subjects who did not participate in any CRP had a more adverse profile of body composition and body fat distribution. The higher values found for specific fat depots, as well as for the total abdominal BF/BF ratio, confirm the more adverse body fat distribution in non-CRP subjects. These data are in agreement with results from intervention studies in CAD patients.