Effect of Exercise Intervention on Changes in Free Fatty Acid Levels and Metabolic Risk Factors in Stroke Patients

[Purpose] The present study investigated the effects of regular exercise on the improvement of free fatty acid (FFA) levels and metabolic risk factors of stroke patients. [Methods] The subjects were 20 male patients aged 47−59 years who were diagnosed as having hemiplegia resulting from stroke. Exercise was conducted using a stationary bicycle, a rehabilitative exercise machine. The exercise program utilized the heart rate reserve (HRR) method to create an exercise intensity amounting to 50−70% of the target heart rate (THR). The program lasted for 30 minutes and was conducted 5 times per week for a total of 12 weeks. [Results] In stroke patients, 12 weeks of exercise training yielded a significant interaction effect with weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). There were also significant differences in triglycerides (TG) according to the time of measurement, and an interaction effect was observed for triglycerides (TC). High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), an important marker of improvement in metabolic risk factors, showed a significant interaction effect with exercise training. In addition, free fatty acids (FFA) showed a significant difference based on the time of measurement and showed a significant negative correlation with HDLC (r = −0.77). [Conclusion] The results of the present study suggest that regular exercise by stroke patients reduces their risk of metabolic complications and stroke recurrence by reducing obesity indices, improving serum lipid and FFA levels, and increasing HDLC levels.