The VENERE study: EffectiVenEss of a rehabilitation treatment with Nordic walking in obEse or oveRweight diabetic patiEnts with cardiovascular disease

Background. Nordic walking (NW) has several potential benefits for individuals with cardiovascular disease (CV), type 2 diabetes, and obesity/overweight. It improves cardiovascular health, including exercise capacity and blood pressure control. It enhances glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in diabetes. It aids in weight management and body composition improvement. NW offers additional advantages such as improved muscular strength, joint mobility, physical activity levels, and psychological well-being. Methods. This open-label study with three arms will aim to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and adherence to exercise prescription in obese/overweight diabetic patients with CV complications. The primary objective will be to assess the CV performance of participants after a 6- and 12-month follow-up period, following a 3-month NW intervention, compared with standard rehabilitation (SR) and cardiological counseling (control group, CG) training lasting 3 months. Results. The results of the study will provide valuable insights into the comparative effectiveness of a NW intervention versus SR and CG training in improving cardiovascular performance in obese/overweight diabetic patients with CV complications. Additionally, safety and adherence data will help inform the feasibility and sustainability of the exercise prescription over an extended period. Conclusions. These findings may have implications for the development of tailored exercise programs for this specific patient population, with the aim of optimizing cardiovascular health outcomes. This protocol was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov with reference ID: NCT05987410 on 10 August 2023.