ORLANDO, FLA. — Moderate-intensity exercise coupled with caloric restriction was better than exercise alone for inducing favorable changes in waist circumference in women in a recent study.
This combination approach was particularly beneficial for reducing waist circumference, which is important, because central adiposity is widely considered to be the central aspect of metabolic syndrome, Theodore J. Angelopoulos, Ph.D., said at an international conference on women, heart disease, and stroke.
Of 98 women with an average age of 43 years who were randomly assigned to either an exercise-only group or an exercise and caloric restriction group, all experienced improvements in the various components of metabolic syndrome. In addition to waist circumference, these included glucose, HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and diastolic and systolic blood pressure, said Dr. Angelopoulos of Rippe Lifestyle Institute in Celebration, Fla., at a news conference at the meeting.
The change in waist circumference was statistically significant in both groups, with a reduction from 92 cm to 87 cm in the exercise-only group and from 90 cm to 82 cm in the diet and exercise group. This was the only component in which the difference in the exercise and caloric restriction group was significantly greater than the difference in the exercise-only group. However, the improvements in glucose levels and systolic blood pressure were significant in both groups, and the improvement in diastolic blood pressure was significant in the exercise-only group.
Women in both groups followed a typical exercise regimen recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine, and those in the exercise-plus-caloric restriction group also reduced caloric intake by 500 kcal/day.