No Changes in Body Composition and Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet after a 12-Week Aerobic Training Intervention in Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: The EJERCITA-LES Study

Abstract

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease linked to high cardiovascular risk. To reach an adequate body composition status while maintaining proper dietary habits are effective strategies for reducing cardiovascular risk, both being potentially modified through exercise. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a 12-week aerobic training intervention on anthropometry, body composition and adherence to the Mediterranean diet in women with SLE. A total of 58 women with SLE were assigned to either an exercise group (EG; n = 26) or a comparison group (CG; n = 32) in this non-randomized controlled trial. The EG comprised 12 weeks of aerobic exercise (two sessions/week) between 40–75% of the individual’s heart rate reserve (calculated as maximum heart rate − resting heart rate) and the CG received usual care. At baseline and after the intervention, the anthropometry (i.e., weight, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and body mass index) and body composition (i.e., fat mass and lean mass) were assessed using a stadiometer, an anthropometric tape, and a bioimpedance device, respectively. Dietary habits were assessed with the Mediterranean Diet score. There were no between-group differences in neither anthropometric nor body composition parameters (all p > 0.05). Similarly, no between-group differences were obtained in the adherence to the Mediterranean diet after the exercise intervention (all p > 0.05). Contrary to the initial hypothesis, these results suggest that the 12-week aerobic training intervention performed in this study did not improve anthropometry, body composition or adherence to the Mediterranean diet in women with SLE.