Aerobic exercise is a safe and effective method of treating symptoms commonly associated with taking HIV medications, such as fatigue, shortness of the breathe, weight gain and changes in body composition, according to a recent study led by Barbara Smith, Ph.D., professor of nursing at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Details of the study, conducted at Ohio State University in Columbus, appeared in a recent issue of the journal AIDS.
“We found that aerobic exercise, which has been proven effective in helping manage other chronic illnesses, is also effective in managing certain symptoms associated with HIV infection,” says Smith. “And, we found that someone with HIV can safely participate in an exercise program without compromising an already fragile immune system.”
The study, funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, enrolled 60 HIV-positive individuals over a course of three years. Half of the individuals were immediately assigned to an exercise program and exercised three times a week for 12 weeks, with each exercise session lasting at least 30 minutes. The other half of individuals did not exercise for the first 12 weeks, then participated in the same exercise program for the next 12-week period.
In particular, the study reports that participants showed significant increases in physical endurance. “This is important because increased endurance greatly reduces the difficulty of performing daily activities,” says Smith. “The less effort an individual expends to carry out an activity, the less likely they are to be fatigued.”
The study also reports significant reductions in body weight and changes in body composition. “Many of the participants were above their ideal body weight when they enrolled in the study,” says Smith. “Exercise effectively reduced not only their body weight, but their percentage of body fat, without participants making significant changes in their diets.”
Other researchers who collaborated are on the study are Robert Fass and Michael Para with the department of internal medicine at Ohio State University in Columbus; Judith Neidig with the departments of internal medicine, and adult health and illness at Ohio State University; Gladys Mitchell with the division of epidemiology and biostatistics at Ohio State University; and Jennie Nickel with the Ohio Department of Human Services in Columbus.
