Netherlands Heart Journal· 2026Q2
Effects on atrial fibrillation symptom burden of an obesity-focused cardiac rehabilitation program: Insights from the OPTICARE XL trial
- 1citations
- Q2SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
An obesity-focused cardiac rehabilitation program significantly reduced atrial fibrillation (AF) symptom burden in patients with non-valvular AF, according to the OPTICARE XL trial.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Obesity is a major modifiable risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF).
- Weight loss and regular exercise are crucial for AF management.
- Comprehensive programs targeting weight loss, physical activity, and behavioral change can reduce AF recurrence and symptom burden.
- Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) offers a framework for these lifestyle modifications.
- The effectiveness of CR, particularly when tailored for obese patients, in reducing AF symptom burden was uncertain prior to this trial.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Obesity is a major modifiable risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF) [ 1 ]. Sustained weight loss and regular exercise are therefore key components of AF management [ 2 ]. In symptomatic AF populations, comprehensive risk factor management programmes targeting weight loss, physical activity, and behavioural change have been associated with reduced AF recurrence and symptom burden [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) provides a scalable framework for lifestyle modification, risk factor management (including weight loss), and improvement of exercise capacity and quality of life [ 5 ]. Whether CR, particularly when tailored for patients with obesity, is effective to reduce AF symptom burden remains uncertain [ 6 ]. We therefore evaluated the effect of an obesity-focused CR programme on AF symptom burden in patients with non-valvular AF [ 7 ].
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Netherlands Heart Journal, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Cardiology and Cardiovascular MedicineMedicine