Stroke is a common cause of death and is the leading cause of disability in New Zealand (NZ), with approximately 7,000 people suffering an initial or recurrent stroke each year.1 When symptoms of stroke resolve within 24 hours it is known as a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA). Many individuals presenting with a TIA have predisposing coronary artery disease (CAD) and cerebrovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidaemia, obesity and physical inactivity.2 It has been suggested that 80% of recurrent vascular events could be prevented through a comprehensive multi-factorial strategy.3 Preliminary evidence suggests that TIA patients in the non-acute phase can reduce vascular risk factors and improve their cardiovascular fitness following exercise training.3,4 The purpose of the present study was to examine whether an 8 week exercise intervention reduces risk factors aligned with CAD and CVD in TIA patients. Sixty newly diagnosed TIA patients (68.1 ± 10.4 y), identified within 7 days of symptom onset, participated in the trial. All participants completed a baseline assessment which included a CAD risk factor assessment, including: systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP & DBP, respectively), total blood lipid profile (total cholesterol [TC], high-density lipoproteins [HDL], TC:HDL ratio), fasting blood-glucose (diabetes risk), smoking status, family history of CAD, body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio. Participants were randomised to either an 8-week exercise programme or to a control group (usual care). Identical CAD risk factors were assessments at a follow-up assessment on completion of the intervention. Values are reported as means ± SD, as analysed by ANOVA. Participants randomised to the exercise group elicited a significantly greater reduction from baseline to follow-up in SBP (141 ± 15 & 131 ± 15 mmHg, respectively) and TC (4.1 ± 1.2 & 3.6 ± 0.7 m.mol-1 , respectively) than the control group (138 ± 12 & 136 ± 17 mmHg, and 4.1 ± 1.0 & 3.8 ± 1.0 m.mol-1 ; P < .05). However, no differences were observed between the exercise and control group for BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, DBP or blood glucose (P > .05). This study has demonstrated that a short-duration (8-week) exercise based intervention may elicit favourable changes in blood lipid profile (TC) and resting SBP for TIA patients. Further research is necessary to examine the long-term effect of exercise on reducing CAD and CVD risk factors and recurrent vascular events in this population.