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A daily comprehensive muscle training programme increases lean mass and spontaneous activity in children with
Michael Schlumpf1, Urs Eiholzer, Muriel Gygax
1Institute Growth Puberty Adolescence, Zürich, Switzerland.
Insights
A short daily home exercise program for children with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) increased physical activity (PA) and lean mass (LM). While not fully normalizing LM, the training offers significant benefits for PWS patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Endocrinology
- Exercise Physiology
Background:
- Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is associated with reduced physical activity (PA) and muscle mass, contributing to fat gain and metabolic issues.
- Growth hormone treatment is common in PWS but may not fully address physical activity and body composition deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if a home-based physical training program can improve PA and body composition in prepubertal children with PWS.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study involving 11 prepubertal children with PWS undergoing growth hormone treatment.
- A training group (7 children) performed daily 4-10 minute exercises for various muscle groups.
- A control group (12 children) received no specific training intervention.
- PA was measured by pedometer (walking distance) and activity score; body composition by DEXA (lean mass SDS) at baseline and 6 months.
Main Results:
- The training group showed a significant increase in lean mass (LM) from -1.83 to -1.48 SDS (p <0.05), while controls had no change.
- Physical activity (walking distance and activity score) significantly increased in the training group compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Children with PWS can adhere to a brief, family-supported daily training regimen.
- This home-based training program positively impacts general physical activity and increases lean mass in children with PWS, though it does not normalize it.
Unlabelled:
The reduction of spontaneous physical activity (PA) and of muscle tissue are thought to be major causes of fat accretion and metabolic deterioration in Prader-Labhart-Willi syndrome (PWS). We investigated whether a generalized physical training programme in a home setting improves these parameters. The prospective study included 11 prepubertal children (mean age 8.7 years, range 5.9-11.8) with documented PWS and under continuous growth hormone treatment for at least 2.8 years. Seven children were enrolled in a training programme for several muscle groups during 4-10 minutes daily. Twelve matched children with PWS served as controls (average age 8.8 years, 6.1-11.3). Before and after training, at 6 months, PA was assessed by measuring walking distance by pedometer registration and by an activity score, and body composition by DEXA expressed as standard deviation scores (SDS) related to height. After training, lean mass (LM) increased from -1.83 to -1.48 SDS, p <0.05, whereas the controls showed no change. In the training group, walking distance and PA increased from 4.2 to 4.7 km/d and from 255 to 266 points, respectively, and these rises significantly exceeded those observed in controls.
Conclusion:
Children with PWS can be motivated by their families to follow a short daily training, which has general effects on PA and does increase, but not normalize LM.
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