The following is a summary of “Physical activity improves cardiovascular fitness and reduces cardiovascular risk factors in adults with multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis,” published in the November 2024 issue of Neurology by Lin et al.    

Physical activity is essential for cardiovascular (CV) health, but its effectiveness in managing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) has yet to be comprehensively reviewed.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study assessing the impact of physical activity on CV risk factors in adults with MS.  

They reviewed RCTs from 6 databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, Embase, SPORTDiscuss) up to August 2024. Trials compared physical activity interventions with controls (no intervention or alternative activity) in adults with MS, 2 independent reviewers assessed the quality of studies using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3.  

The results showed 30 studies in the qualitative synthesis, and 21 were included in the meta-analysis, with 1,052 participants. Significant improvements in CV fitness were observed, including VO₂ peak (mean difference [MD] = 166.77; 95%CI: 62.77 to 272.77; P=0.002), heart rate (HR) peak (MD = 3.02; 95% CI: 1.16 to 4.87; P=0.001), and peak power output (MD = 24.28; 95% CI: 5.73 to 42.83; P=0.01). Physical activity was also effective in reducing CVD risk factors, such as triglycerides (MD = -13.64; 95% CI: -9.36 to -17.92; P<0.00001), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (MD = -6.61; 95% CI: -8.82 to -4.40; P<0.00001), total cholesterol (MD = -8.35; 95% CI: -15.26 to -1.45; P=0.02), and body fat percentage (MD = -1.56; 95% CI: -2.36 to -0.76; P=0.0001).  

They concluded that physical activity improves CV fitness and reduces traditional CV risk factors in adults with MS.  

Source: msard-journal.com/article/S2211-0348(24)00746-6/abstract