Effects of exergaming in postmenopausal women with high cardiovascular risk: A randomized controlled trial

Objective Recently, exergames have been used an exercise modality as aerobic fitness activities. However, evidence of its effectiveness on cardiovascular (CV)‐related risk factors remain unclear. Hypothesis We evaluate the effects of exergaming on CV‐related risk factors compared with traditional aerobic exercise in high CV risk patients. Methods Sixty‐five postmenopausal women with high CV risk were randomized among exergame (n = 22), treadmill (n = 22), and control (n = 21) groups. The exergame group was engaged in the running‐based exergame using Exer Heart and the treadmill group walked or jogged on a treadmill. Cardiorespiratory fitness, flow‐mediated dilation, endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), epicardial fat thickness, metabolic parameters, and anthropometric parameters were measured in patients before and 12 weeks after the training. Results Exergaming significantly improved VO2 peak (P