Progressive resistance exercise (PRE), including weight and strength training, leads to healthy gains in weight and leg and arm size in people living with HIV, according to a research article published in the July 6 issue of AIDS Care. Improvements in heart rate, strength and psychological well-being were also seen among people who engaged in regular PRE.

The article’s findings, authored by Kelly O’Brien, BSc, of the University of Toronto, and her colleagues, involved a thorough review of published studies of PRE in people living with HIV. They found 10 studies between 1980 and 2006 that compared people who did not exercise with people who engaged in PRE—either with or without the addition of aerobic exercise.

O’Brien’s team found that there was a benefit across studies in terms of overall weight gain and leg and arm size gains. The differences between the PRE and non-PRE study subjects were statistically significant, meaning that the differences were too great to have occurred by chance.

O’Brien also found a trend toward improvements in submaximal heart rate, which shows how well the body utilizes oxygen. PRE also increased the amount of time a person could exercise without needing to rest. The authors stress, however, that the benefits of PRE last only as long as a person continues to exercise.