Effects of aerobic conditioning at intensities corresponding to lactate threshold plus reduced energy intake in college-age females.

Abstract

The effects of a 15-wk aerobic conditioning (4.2 +/- 1.3 d/wk) plus energy restriction (25 kcal/kg/d diet) program on anthropometric and physiologic attributes were studied in 16 obese women between the ages of 18 and 24. The women were divided into either an experimental (E, n = 10) group or a control (C, n = 6) group. The exercise + diet (E) group demonstrated significant reductions in body weight, both absolute and relative body fat, Katsura index, and serum triglycerides, and increases in oxygen uptake relative to lactate threshold (LT), maximal oxygen uptake, and the ratio of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to total cholesterol. In the C group, none of the variables measured in this study remained unchanged. Thus the benefits of weight reduction without any change in fat free weight following the program were pronounced in the female university-age group that we studied. In conclusion, the highly structured aerobic conditioning at intensities corresponding to LT together with a proper dietary regimen is considered optimal with respect to favorable changes in various anthropometric and physiologic attributes. The feasibility of treating obese individuals with manifestation of medical and/or psychological problems in a school setting should be a significant matter in future research.