Effects of diet and exercise interventions on health outcomes in women with and without metabolic syndrome (MS)

Abstract

355 sedentary women (46±11 yrs, 163±7 cm; 92±16 kg; 45±4% body fat) were assigned to a control group (C); an exercise group (E); an exercise & high calorie diet (HCD) group (2,600 kcals/d); or, isoenergetic high carbohydrate (HC) or high protein (HP) diets. Diets consisted of 1,200 kcal/d for 1-wk and 1,600 kcal/d for 9 wks during the weight loss phase, During the maintenance phase, subjects ingested 2,600 kcal/d and dieted for 2-d (1,200 kcal/d) only if they gained 3 lbs. Subjects participated in a Curves fitness program 3-d per wk. Subjects were retrospectively divided into those with less than (n=196) or more than (n=159) 3 criteria for MS. Data were collected at 0, 10, and 14 weeks and analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA and are presented as changes from baseline after 10 and 14 wks for the no MS and MS groups, respectively. Subjects who had MS had greater loss of DEXA fat mass (−2.29±2.6, −2.44±3.4; −2.78±4.2; −3.1±3.0 kg, p=0.046) and SBP (−1.3±13, −2.3±14; −5.6±18; −8.4±15 mmHg, p=0.01) with no significant differences between groups in reductions in waist circumference (−2.8±6.6, −3.8±7.3; −3.2±8.3; −4.2±6.9 cm, p=0.42), glucose (−0.4±15, −2.1±15; −2.6±14; −4.1±14 %, p=0.85), triglycerides (5.6±42, 2.4±42; −5.5±33; 0.2±41%, p=0.67) or HDL (−3.9±19, −2.9±17; −0.1±19; −0.9±19 %, p=0.86). Analysis of group interactions revealed that MS subjects following the HCD lost significantly more weight than the non-MS group with results comparable to those observed in the HC and HP diet groups. Also, results in the HP group were generally better than remaining groups. Results indicate that subjects with MS may experience differential effects from adhering to various types of diets during training.