Effects of Kinect-based mixed-reality exercise and deep-sea water consumption on metabolic syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

[Purpose] The increasing prevalence of metabolic syndrome poses significant health risks, particularly for cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Exercise interventions have shown promise in improving the components of metabolic syndrome, including blood pressure, lipid profiles, and glucose metabolism. Kinect-based mixed-reality exercise provides real-time feedback and personalized guidance, making it suitable for unsupervised training. Deep-sea water has beneficial effects on lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity. However, the effects of Kinect-based mixed-reality exercise and deep-sea water on metabolic syndrome remain unclear. [Methods] Fifty-six participants aged 30-65 years with a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome were randomly assigned to four groups for an 8-week intervention: control (CG), deep-sea water consumption (WG), Kinect-based mixed-reality exercise (EG), and combined deep-sea water consumption and Kinect-based mixed-reality exercise (WEG). The intervention comprised a 40-min Kinect-based mixed-reality circuit exercise three times per week and daily consumption of 440 mL of deep-sea water. The measurements included blood pressure, body composition, blood profiles, quality of life, physical activity, diet recall, and the metabolic syndrome score.[Results] Forty-eight participants completed the study, demonstrating high compliance with the EG (98.4%) and WG (99.2%). Waist circumference significantly decreased in all intervention groups (WG, p = 0.002; EG, p < 0.0001; WEG, p < 0.0001), with a significant difference between CG and EG (p = 0.020). The metabolic syndrome component score decreased significantly in the EG (p = 0.004) and WEG (p = 0.002) groups, falling below the diagnostic threshold for metabolic syndrome.[Conclusion] These findings indicate the potential benefits of combining deep-sea water consumption and Kinect-based mixed-reality exercise in metabolic syndrome management.