Long-term lifestyle intervention with optimized high-intensity interval training improves body composition, cardiometabolic risk, and exercise parameters in patients with abdominal obesity

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to study the impact of a combined long-term lifestyle and high-intensity interval training intervention on body composition, cardiometabolic risk, and exercise tolerance in overweight and obese subjects.

DESIGN

Sixty-two overweight and obese subjects (53.3 ± 9.7 yrs; mean body mass index, 35.8 ± 5 kg/m(2)) were retrospectively identified at their entry into a 9-mo program consisting of individualized nutritional counselling, optimized high-intensity interval exercise, and resistance training two to three times a week. Anthropometric measurements, cardiometabolic risk factors, and exercise tolerance were measured at baseline and program completion.

RESULTS

Adherence rate was 97%, and no adverse events occurred with high-intensity interval exercise training. Exercise training was associated with a weekly energy expenditure of 1582 ± 284 kcal. Clinically and statistically significant improvements were observed for body mass (-5.3 ± 5.2 kg), body mass index (-1.9 ± 1.9 kg/m(2)), waist circumference (-5.8 ± 5.4 cm), and maximal exercise capacity (+1.26 ± 0.84 metabolic equivalents) (P < 0.0001 for all parameters). Total fat mass and trunk fat mass, lipid profile, and triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein ratio were also significantly improved (P < 0.0001). At program completion, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was reduced by 32.5% (P < 0.05). Independent predictors of being a responder to body mass and waist circumference loss were baseline body mass index and resting metabolic rate; those for body mass index decrease were baseline waist circumference and triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio.

CONCLUSIONS

A long-term lifestyle intervention with optimized high-intensity interval exercise improves body composition, cardiometabolic risk, and exercise tolerance in obese subjects. This intervention seems safe, efficient, and well tolerated and could improve adherence to exercise training in this population.

An overview of the contribution of fatness and fitness factors, and the role of exercise, in the formation of health status for individuals who are overweight

Over the last half century there has been an epidemic of diminished health status induced by what seems as a concurrent rise in a population of individuals that are overfat. During the past few decades, the use of exercise has become a staple in the prevention and treatment options for the retarding the development of health issues pertaining to individuals who are overweight, overfatness or experience obesity. However, there are few studies and reviews look at the global issues surrounding the metabolic and hormone consequences of overfatness and the interaction of exercise with adiposity in humans developing the health status for the individual. This review offers an insight into our current understanding of health issues pertaining to metabolic and hormonal disruption related to overfatness and the treatment effect that exercise, especially resistance exercise, can have on impacting the health status, and overall well-being, for individuals who are overfat, regardless of body compositional changes leading toward a lessening of diseased state, and eventually a return to a normal health status for the individual.