Intervention with education and exercise reverses the metabolic syndrome in adults

About 29% of the adult population of Talca, Chile, suffers from the metabolic syndrome (MS), a value higher than the national prevalence. Evidence indicates that exercise and nutritional changes reduce the predominance of this syndrome. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of a structured interventional program of physical activity and nutritional counseling in adults with MS. Fifty-one subjects were studied: 27 were included in the interventional program (I-MS). The control group was formed by 24 individuals who did not participate in the program (NI-MS). We assessed body weight, corporal composition, arterial pressure, glycemia, and lipid profile at baseline and after 18 weeks of treatment. After this period, the I-SM group showed a significant decrease in triglycerides (geometric mean 202.2 to 110.5 mg/dL, P < .001), diastolic blood pressure (mean 85.4 to 79.6 mm Hg, P = .001), waist circumference (mean men 101.5 to 94.1 cm, P < .001; mean women 107.2 to 96.2 cm, P < .001), weight (mean 81.1 to 77.2 kg, P < .001), and body mass index (mean 31.8 to 30.2 kg/m2, P < .001). In the NI-MS group, the individual parameters did not change significantly. Our results show that a non-pharmacological treatment based on exercise exerts an important beneficial effect in patients with MS, mainly on the waist circumference, blood pressure, and triglycerides.