What does this research mean for the field?

Exercise-driven cardiac rehabilitation significantly improves physical performance, enhances quality of life, and reduces depression and anxiety in cardiovascular disease patients, irrespective of their body mass index. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.CONFIRMATORY. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.SUPPORTS_CONSENSUS.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate the impact of a structured exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation program on physical performance, quality of life, and psychological symptoms in cardiovascular disease patients across body mass index categories.

July 9, 2026Frontiers in Cardiovascular MedicineOpen Access

Enhanced physical performance and quality of life in cardiovascular disease patients across BMI groups through exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation

Q: What are the key findings of this study?

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation significantly improved oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold from 10.9 to 13.3 mL/min/kg and enhanced quality of life in cardiovascular disease patients across all BMI groups.

Q: What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Population: Cardiovascular disease (n=79). Intervention: Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation vs. Pre-rehabilitation baseline. Primary outcome: Oxygen uptake (VO2) at anaerobic threshold (AT) (p=<0.01).

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Key result

Exercise-based cardiac rehab linked to ~22% increase in VO2 at anaerobic threshold across all BMIs.

P<0.01
n=79

Why the study?

With escalating cardiovascular disease prevalence, evidence-backed cardiac rehabilitation is increasingly in demand as a guideline-recommended secondary prevention strategy.

Does a structured exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation program improve cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2 at AT and OUES) in patients with cardiovascular disease?

Population

79 CVD patients across BMI groups

Comparison

12 in-center sessions of structured exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation evaluated before vs after intervention

Design

Pre-post interventional study

Authors

XLXinmeng LiuCapital University GLGuangxin LiuMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs ZWZibo WangSouthwest Petroleum University

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Supports CR benefits on fitness and QoL across BMI in CVD; reinforces consensus but leaves open need for controlled confirmation.

Key Points

To evaluate the impact of a structured exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation program on physical performance, quality of life, and psychological symptoms in cardiovascular disease patients across body mass index categories.
Assessed 79 patients with cardiovascular disease participating in a structured cardiac rehabilitation intervention.
Administered 12 in-center exercise sessions conducted 2 to 3 times per week.
Conducted pre- and post-intervention evaluations utilizing cardiopulmonary exercise testing alongside questionnaires assessing quality of life, depression, and anxiety.
Physical capacity significantly improved at the anaerobic threshold: oxygen uptake rose from 10.9 ± 2.9 to 13.3 ± 3.4 mL/min/kg (p < 0.01), ventilation increased from 29.3 ± 7.5 to 35.6 ± 9.3 mL/min/kg (p < 0.01), and workload increased from 56.7 ± 25.4 to 70.0 ± 27.7 W (p < 0.01).
Oxygen uptake efficiency slope increased from 1,426.8 ± 346.3 to 1,547.2 ± 403.5 (p < 0.01), showing consistent benefits across study groups irrespective of body mass index.
Patients achieved significant enhancements in overall quality of life scores along with marked reductions in depression and anxiety levels following rehabilitation.

Structured PICO

Does a structured exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation program improve cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2 at AT and OUES) in patients with cardiovascular disease?

Population

79 adults (mean age 53.5 years, 21.5% female) with cardiovascular disease underwent a 12-session exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation program to assess changes in physical performance and quality of life.

Intervention

Structured exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation program consisting of 12 supervised in-center sessions (2-3 times per week) at an intensity corresponding to the anaerobic threshold, plus home-based exercise (3 times per week: 15 min breathing/warm-up, 30 min brisk walking, 15 min stretching).

Outcome

Oxygen uptake (VO2) at anaerobic threshold (AT) and oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) assessed post-intervention.surrogate

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 13.3% vs 10.9%

p-value: p=<0.01

A 12-session structured cardiac rehabilitation program significantly improves cardiorespiratory fitness, metabolic efficiency, and psychological well-being in patients with cardiovascular disease, regardless of their baseline BMI.

Limitations

Lack of a non-intervention control group limits causal inference
Short intervention duration (12 sessions) and follow-up (only post-intervention) preclude assessment of long-term sustainability
Potential selection bias given the single-center design and male-predominant sample (78.5%)
Did not report adjustments to cardiovascular medications during the study, which may influence physiological outcomes
Lack of a non-intervention control group
Short intervention duration (12 sessions) and follow-up (only post-intervention)
Did not report adjustments to cardiovascular medications during the study

Cite This Study

Liu et al. (2026) studied Cardiovascular disease (n=79). Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation vs. Pre-rehabilitation baseline was evaluated on Oxygen uptake (VO2) at anaerobic threshold (AT) (p=<0.01). Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation significantly improved oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold from 10.9 to 13.3 mL/min/kg and enhanced quality of life in cardiovascular disease patients across all BMI groups.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a7161ece36a167817e335b3 https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2026.1875972

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