Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 May 16:15598276241253187.
doi: 10.1177/15598276241253187. Online ahead of print.

Lifestyle Intervention Improves Parasympathetic Activity in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Alaa I Alyahya  1   2   3 , Sarah J Charman  1   2 , Nduka C Okwose  1   2   4 , Amy S Fuller  1   2 , Christopher Eggett  1   2 , Peter Luke  1   2 , Kristian Bailey  2 , Guy A MacGowan  2   5 , Djordje G Jakovljevic  1   2   4
Affiliations

Lifestyle Intervention Improves Parasympathetic Activity in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Alaa I Alyahya et al. Am J Lifestyle Med. .

Abstract

Background A limited number of studies have investigated the effects of lifestyle interventions in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). This study evaluated the effect of a novel lifestyle intervention incorporating physical activity (PA) and dietary nitrate supplementation on heart rate variability (HRV) and haemodynamic measures in HCM.

Methods: Twenty-eight individuals with HCM were randomised into either the intervention or control group. Frequency-domain HRV measures including low frequency power (LF), high frequency power (HF) and LF/HF were recorded at rest using bioimpedance. Non-invasive haemodynamic variables were recorded at rest using bioreactance. Participants in the intervention group consumed 6 mmol of nitrate daily (concentrated beetroot juice) and were instructed to increase and maintain daily PA by ≥ 2000 steps/day above baseline for 16 weeks. Control group participants retained their usual lifestyle and monitored daily step counts.

Results: There was a significant increase in post-intervention HF power (7.54 ± 2.14 vs 8.78 ± 1.60 ms2, P < .01) and LF power (6.89 ± 2.33 vs 8.17 ± 1.55, P < .01) in the intervention but not in the control group. Resting mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) in the intervention group significantly reduced at follow-up (108 ± 6 vs 102 ± 7 mmHg, P < .01).

Conclusions: A novel lifestyle intervention including PA and dietary nitrate supplementation enhanced parasympathetic activity and resting MABP in HCM.

Keywords: haemodynamic function; heart rate variability; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; lifestyle; nitrate.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow diagram showing recruitment into the lifestyle intervention study. BRJ: beet root juice.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
The average steps achieved at baseline and at the end of lifestyle intervention for the intervention and control groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Ommen SR, Mital S, Burke MA, et al. 2020 AHA/ACC guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: executive summary. Circulation. 2020;142(25):558-631. doi:10.1161/cir.0000000000000938 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Patel V, Critoph CH, Finlay MC, Mist B, Lambiase PD, Elliott PM. Heart rate recovery in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Am J Cardiol. 2014;113(6):101-107. doi:10.1016/j.amjcard.2013.11.062 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Vanderlei LCM, Pastre CM, Hoshi RA, Carvalho TD, Godoy MF. Basic notions of heart rate variability and its clinical applicability. Braz J Cardiovasc Surg. 2009;24:205-217. - PubMed
    1. Maron BJ, Desai Milind Y, Nishimura RA, et al. Management of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2022;79(4):390-414. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2021.11.021 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rippe JM. Lifestyle strategies for risk factor reduction, prevention, and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2019;13(2):204-212. doi:10.1177/1559827618812395 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources