Publications

CONTEXT

The increasing prevalence of obesity is a major public health concern. Physical activity may promote weight and body fat loss.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effects of exercise on total and intra-abdominal body fat overall and by level of exercise.

DESIGN

Randomized controlled trial conducted from 1997 to 2001.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

A total of 173 sedentary, overweight (body mass index > or =24.0 and >33% body fat), postmenopausal women aged 50 to 75 years who were living in the Seattle, Wash, area.

INTERVENTION

Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention consisting of exercise facility and home-based moderate-intensity exercise (n = 87) or a stretching control group (n = 86).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Changes in body weight and waist and hip circumferences at 3 and 12 months; total body, intra-abdominal, and subcutaneous abdominal fat at 12 months.

RESULTS

Twelve-month data were available for 168 women. Women in the exercise group participated in moderate-intensity sports/recreational activity for a mean (SD) of 3.5 (1.2) d/wk for 176 (91) min/wk. Walking was the most frequently reported activity. Exercisers showed statistically significant differences from controls in baseline to 12-month changes in body weight (-1.4 kg; 95% confidence interval [CI], -2.5 to -0.3 kg), total body fat (-1.0%; 95% CI, -1.6% to -0.4%), intra-abdominal fat (-8.6 g/cm2; 95% CI, -17.8 to 0.9 g/cm2), and subcutaneous abdominal fat (-28.8 g/cm2); 95% CI, -47.5 to -10.0 g/cm2). A significant dose response for greater body fat loss was observed with increasing duration of exercise.

CONCLUSIONS

Regular exercise such as brisk walking results in reduced body weight and body fat among overweight and obese postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether the failure of the orexigenic hormone ghrelin to increase as it normally does with weight loss contributes to impaired weight recovery in older persons.

DESIGN

Prospective diet intervention study.

SETTING

University of Washington Medical Center from 2001 through 2005.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-one younger (18-35) and 18 older (> or =70) men and women.

INTERVENTION

Two weeks of a weight-maintaining diet were followed in sequence by 2 weeks of 30% calorie restriction, then 4 weeks of ad libitum food intake.

MEASUREMENTS

Twenty-four-hour plasma ghrelin levels, dual x-ray absorptiometry scan for body composition, resting energy expenditure, and calorie intakes were measured.

RESULTS

Both younger and older subjects lost weight with calorie restriction and failed to fully regain their baseline weight. The older adults trended toward increasing their calorie intake above their baseline level during the ad libitum period (111+/-66 kcal, P=.11), whereas the younger individuals did not (-236+/-95 kcal, P=.02). There was no statistically significant difference between the two cohorts in 24-hour ghrelin levels before or after calorie restriction. Ghrelin levels in the two cohorts increased equivalently after calorie restriction and decreased after ad libitum food consumption resumed.

CONCLUSION

Ghrelin levels in healthy older individuals respond appropriately in a compensatory manner to changes in body weight and calorie intake.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) and body mass index (BMI) in elderly Korean men. A review of routine health examination records were done. Out of 671 eligible elderly men, who had their routine health examination in 2001 at a Health Promotion Center of a university hospital, 367 subjects were included after excluding inflammatory conditions. Subgroup analyses were performed on those who did not smoke and exercised regularly. Body composition, blood pressure, blood samples and radiologic examinations including chest radiography and abdominal ultrasound were obtained from each subject. Age, BMI, current smoking, regular exercise, WBC count, HDL-cholesterol, gamma glutamyl transferase were independently associated with logCRP. BMI subgroups according to the Asia-Pacific guideline did not show any difference in CRP level from each other by ANCOVA (p>0.05). However, BMI groups subdivided according to our criteria showed an association with CRP; the CRP level was lowest in the group of BMI between 18.5-19.4 and showed significant difference from BMI group of the highest BMI group (>or=29.0). Since elevated CRP levels are associated with higher risk for cardiovascular disease, lower BMI (18.5-19.4) levels may be advised for healthy elderly men in Korea.