Aerobic Training Decreases B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Expression and Adrenergic Activation in Patients With Heart Failure

To evaluate the effect of physical training on neurohormonal activation in subjects with chronic heart failure, 95 patients were randomized into group T (training) and group C (no training). Neurohormonal assays, quality-of-life (QOL) questionnaire, echocardiogram, and cardiopulmonary stress test were performed in all patients. At the ninth month, trained patients showed improvement of workload, peak oxygen uptake, systolic function, and QOL. B-type natriuretic peptide and norepinephrine plasma values decreased after training, with no changes in group C. Physical training benefit on functional capacity and QOL in patients with heart failure is associated with an improvement in neurohormonal imbalance.