Aerobic exercise tied to improved clinical asthma outcomes

Moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise training are associated with improvements in clinical asthma outcomes, according to a study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: in Practice.

Sarah R. Valkenborghs, Ph.D., from the University of Newcastle in Callaghan, Australia, and colleagues compared the effects of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise training on asthma outcomes and inflammation in 41 adults randomly assigned to 45 minutes moderate-intensity exercise training three times/week, 30 minutes of vigorous-intensity three times/week, or control.

The researchers found that compared to the control group, the moderate-intensity group had a statistically and clinically significant improvement in asthma-related quality of life (AQLQ) and asthma control. The vigorous-intensity group had statistically, but not clinically, significant improvement in AQLQ and asthma control, compared to the control group.

There was a reduction in sputum macrophage and lymphocyte counts observed following moderate-intensity training, compared to control. A reduction in android fat mass was associated with improved AQLQ and reduced sputum interleukin-6; however, no association was seen with change in fitness.

“As both moderate- and vigorous-intensity exercise have benefit in adults with asthma, both can be recommended, which empowers people to exercise at their preferred intensity,” the authors write.

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