Right heart MRI and cardiopulmonary reserve in older adults doing 2 years of supervised multicomponent exercise
In this interim analysis of a non-randomized two-armed cohort study, older adults assigned to supervised multicomponent training showed higher adjusted mean values for some right heart volume and function measures than an education control group, without detectable differences in how heart parameters changed over time; cardiopulmonary reserve measures showed distinct trajectories. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
The interim analysis of a prospective, non-randomized, two-armed cohort study included 155 adults aged 65 years or older, assigned to supervised multicomponent training (n = 75) or an education control group (n = 80); 92 completed the 2-year follow-up and entered the final analysis. [1]
No significant time × group interactions were detected for right or left heart parameters (all p > 0.05), while after multivariable adjustment the exercise group showed higher adjusted mean values for right atrial volumes and selected right ventricular functional measures. [1]
The authors describe long-term multicomponent exercise as associated with higher levels of selected right heart measures without detectable alterations in longitudinal cardiac remodeling trajectories, and suggest benefits may be mainly functional adaptations rather than structural remodeling. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Interim analysis of a prospective, non-randomized, two-armed cohort study
- Population / context
- 155 adults aged 65 years or older; 92 completed the 2-year follow-up and entered the final analysis.
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- September 1, 2026
Older adults in a two-armed exercise cohort
This was an interim analysis of a prospective, non-randomized, two-armed cohort study. It included 155 adults aged 65 years or older, assigned to supervised multicomponent training (n = 75) or an education control group (n = 80). Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and cardiopulmonary exercise testing took place at baseline and at 1-year and 2-year follow-ups. Right heart structure and function were the primary outcomes. Of the participants, 92 (training: n = 54; control: n = 38) completed the 2-year follow-up and entered the final analysis.
Supporting source [1]
Adjusted right heart values and cardiopulmonary trajectories
No significant time × group interactions were found for right or left heart parameters (all p > 0.05). After multivariable adjustment, the exercise group showed higher overall adjusted mean values for right atrial volumes and selected right ventricular functional measures, including stroke volume, cardiac index and peak filling rate. The abstract also reports distinct longitudinal cardiopulmonary trajectories between groups, citing p = 0.003 and p = 0.033 for two exercise-testing measures. Post hoc subgroup analyses showed that between-group differences in right heart volumetric measures persisted through 2 years in the high-adherence group, whereas they were less consistent in the low-adherence group.
Supporting source [1]
Association, not proof of remodeling or cause
The authors describe long-term multicomponent exercise as associated with higher levels of selected right heart volumetric and functional measures, without detectable alterations in longitudinal cardiac remodeling trajectories, alongside favorable longitudinal changes in cardiopulmonary reserve. They suggest that exercise-related benefits in healthy aging may be characterized primarily by functional adaptations rather than longitudinal structural cardiac remodeling. Because the study was non-randomized and this is an interim analysis, these are associations rather than evidence of cause. The abstract does not report effect sizes for the adjusted comparisons.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. This is an interim analysis of a non-randomized study, so group differences are associations, not causal effects. Only 92 of 155 participants completed the 2-year follow-up and entered the final analysis. The abstract does not report effect sizes for the adjusted comparisons, and adherence subgroup results are post hoc.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Liu T, Song Y, Ye Z, Jiang C, Cheng Y, Dai Y, Zhong H, Huang F, Li Q, Wang F. · europepmc.org · September 1, 2026