Overview

• University of Aberdeen researchers randomized 76 Takotsubo patients to 12 weeks of supervised exercise, 12 sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy, or usual care.
• Rehabilitation groups showed better functional capacity and aerobic fitness, with six‑minute walk distances rising to 528m in the exercise arm and 458m with CBT, and VO2 max increasing 18% and 15% respectively.
• 31P‑magnetic resonance spectroscopy indicated greater cardiac energy availability after exercise or CBT, a change not seen with standard care.
• Participants were predominantly women with a mean age of 66, aligning with the syndrome’s heavier toll on older women.
• Findings presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid, supported by the British Heart Foundation, will be probed in larger, longer studies before any NHS adoption is considered.