Meta- analysis revealed few clinical ly relevant and statistically significant benefits of " add-on " therapies on exercise performance compared with exercise training .
The aim of this review was to identify the effectiveness of therapies added on to conventional exercise training to maximise exercise capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) .
Nutritional enhancement of exercise performance in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomised controlled trial
Background : Pulmonary rehabilitation is effective in improving exercise performance and health status in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) . However , the role of nutritional support in the enhancement of the benefits of exercise training has not been explored . A double blind , r and omised , controlled trial of carbohydrate supplementation was undertaken in patients attending outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation . Methods : 85 patients with COPD were r and omised to receive a 570 kcal carbohydrate rich supplement or a non-nutritive placebo daily for the duration of a 7 week outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation programme . Primary outcome measures were peak and submaximal exercise performance using the shuttle walk tests . Changes in health status , body composition , muscle strength , and dietary macronutrient intake were also measured . Results : Patients in both the supplement and placebo groups increased shuttle walking performance and health status significantly . There was no statistically significant difference between treatment groups in these outcomes . Patients receiving placebo lost weight whereas supplemented patients gained weight . In well nourished patients ( BMI > 19 kg/m2 ) improvement in incremental shuttle performance was significantly greater in the supplemented group ( mean difference between groups : 27 ( 95 % CI 1 to 53 ) m , p<0.05 ) . Increases in incremental shuttle performance correlated with increases in total carbohydrate intake . Conclusions : When universally prescribed , carbohydrate supplementation does not enhance the rehabilitation of patients with COPD . This study suggests that exercise training results in negative energy balance that can be overcome by supplementation and that , in selected patients , this may improve the outcome of training . The finding of benefit in well nourished patients may suggest a role for nutritional supplementation beyond the treatment of weight loss in COPD
Meta- analysis revealed few clinical ly relevant and statistically significant benefits of " add-on " therapies on exercise performance compared with exercise training .
The aim of this review was to identify the effectiveness of therapies added on to conventional exercise training to maximise exercise capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) .