Lifestyle interventions in cardiometabolic HFpEF: dietary and exercise modalities

Abstract

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is rapidly growing as the most common form of heart failure. Among HFpEF phenotypes, the cardiometabolic/obese HFpEF - HFpEF driven by cardiometabolic alterations - emerges as one of the most prevalent forms of this syndrome and the one on which recent therapeutic success have been made. Indeed, pharmacological approaches with sodium-glucose cotransporter type 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) have proved to be effective due to metabolic protective effects. Similarly, lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise are crucial in HFpEF management. Increasing evidence supports the important role of diet and physical activity in the pathogenesis, prognosis, and potential reversal of HFpEF. Metabolic derangements and systemic inflammation are key features of HFpEF and represent the main targets of lifestyle interventions. However, the underlying mechanisms of the beneficial effects of these interventions in HFpEF are incompletely understood. Hence, there is an unmet need of tailored lifestyle intervention modalities for patients with HFpEF. Here we present the current available evidence on lifestyle interventions in HFpEF management and therapeutics, discussing their modalities and potential mechanisms.

Keywords: Diet; Exercise; HFpEF; Obesity.

Fig. 1

Scheme depicting predisposing conditions of cardiometabolic stress driving HFpEF as well as main pathophysiological features of HFpEF and potential lifestyle interventions. Created with BioRender.com licensed to G.G.S