IN
THIS ISSUE
High
Glycemic
Index Foods and Overeating in
Obese Individuals
Newly
Discovered Mouse Gene May Provide Clues
About Human Obesity
Waist
Circumference Measurement in Children Predicts Lipid Risk Factors
Weight-loss
Providers Agree to Help Consumers Make Better Choices
New
Food Guide Pyramids Developed for Children and
the Elderly
Highlights
of CNRU & ONRC Research Available
Cyber
Notes
Sisters
Together Program Guide Now Available
Materials
From Other
Organizations
Meeting
Notes
WIN
NIDDK
WIN
Notes is produced by the Weight-control Information Network (WIN).
Questions or comments should be referred to the editor, Weight-control
Information Network, 1 WIN WAY, BETHESDA, MD 20892-3665, telephone (202) 828-1025, FAX (202) 828-1028
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Another study,
conducted by Ross Andersen, Ph.D., of the Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine, Thomas Wadden, Ph.D., of the University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine, et al., yielded similar results.
Again, participants were placed in either a structured aerobic
exercise program or a moderate lifestyle activity program, but
were also put on lowfat diets of 1,200 calories per day. The study
included 40 obese (mean body mass index of 32.9 kg/m2) women ranging
in age from 21-60 years. A 16-week randomized controlled trial
with a 1-year followup showed no significant differences between
the two groups in body fat or weight loss (or weight regain at
the 1-year followup). However, the lifestyle group showed a significantly
higher percentage of weight lost from fat-free mass (FFM) than
the structured exercise group. (FFM is body composition that is
not fat; water constitutes about 73
percent of FFM.) Both groups significantly reduced their total
cholesterol levels and decreased their systolic blood pressure
at both 16 weeks and 68 weeks.
The implications of these studies are significant. A dislike of
structured exercise, lack of time, and access to facilities do
not have to be barriers to physical activity. Sedentary individuals
can improve their cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiovascular
disease risk factors significantly by incorporating physical activity
into their daily lives. Low levels of activity contribute
to the high prevalence of obesity in the United States,
said James O. Hill, Ph.D., director of the Center for Human Nutrition
and professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of
Colorado Health Sciences Center. Encouraging individuals
to adopt a lifestyle activity program may help to combat this
problem.
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