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CBT and Exercise Boost Heart Metabolism in First Randomized Takotsubo Trial

Short-term gains after 12-week programs led funders to urge larger trials.

Overview

  • University of Aberdeen researchers randomized 76 Takotsubo patients to cognitive behavioural therapy, a structured exercise program, or standard care and presented the results at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Madrid.
  • Both interventions increased the energy available to the heart on 31P‑magnetic resonance spectroscopy, indicating improved cardiac metabolism over 12 weeks.
  • Functional capacity improved, with six‑minute walk distance rising to 528 meters from 457 in the exercise group and to 458 from 402 in the CBT group, while VO2 max rose by 18% and 15% respectively.
  • Participants were predominantly women (about 90%) with an average age of 66, reflecting the condition’s typical demographics.
  • The British Heart Foundation, which funded the trial, called the findings promising but emphasized that larger, longer studies are needed to determine effects on symptoms and survival.