Randomization to Treadmill Training Improves Physical and Metabolic Health in Association With Declines in Oxidative Stress in Stroke

To investigate the effect of aerobic exercise vs control (stretching/balance) on inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers in stroke survivors and whether these changes are associated with improvements in physical and metabolic health. Randomized controlled trial. The general communities of Baltimore, Maryland, and Atlanta, Georgia. Two hundred forty-six older (>50 years), chronic (>6 months) survivors of stroke (N=246) with hemiparetic gait were recruited, with 51 completing pre-intervention testing and 39 completing postintervention testing. Participants were required to have completed all conventional physical therapy and be capable of walking 3 minutes on a treadmill (N=246). Participants completed 6 months of 2 times/wk stretching or balance (ST; n=19) or 3 times/wk aerobic treadmill rehabilitation (TM; n=20;). Peak oxygen uptake rate (V̇o2peak), 6-minute walking distance (6MWD), fasting plasma glucose, insulin, oxidative stress, and inflammatory biomarkers were assessed pre- and postintervention. Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated. Physical function and metabolic health parameters tended to improve after TM but not ST (ST vs TM: V̇o2peak: −9% vs 24%, P