Cardiorespiratory Endurance is Associated with Metabolic Syndrome Severity in Men

Maintaining a good level of fitness through regular exercise is essential for the treatment and prevention of metabolic syndrome (MS). However, the question of which components of physical fitness have the greatest impact remains controversial. We studied the relationship between cardiorespiratory endurance and MS severity z-score in men. The study involved 44 untrained men (38.7±5.6 years). Anthropometric parameters (height, weight, BMI), glucose level, triglyceride level, high-density lipoprotein level, blood pressure, and MS severity z-score were assessed. We also assessed the level of cardiorespiratory endurance in a 12-minute Cooper test. The results of our study showed an inverse relationship between the z-score of MS severity and cardiorespiratory endurance in men, which was (r=–0.84; p˂0.05). People in the highest quartile of cardiorespiratory endurance (quartile 1) had a significantly lower MS severity z-score compared to people in the lowest quartile of cardiorespiratory endurance (quartile 4) (p˂0.01). In addition, people who demonstrated the highest cardiorespiratory endurance (quartile 1) had statistically significantly lower fasting plasma glucose levels and abdominal girth (p˂0.05), as well as statistically significantly lower levels of triglycerides, systolic blood pressure and higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (p˂0.01) compared to people in the lowest quartile of cardiorespiratory endurance (quartile 4). The obtained data confirm the protective role of cardiorespiratory endurance against MS in men.