Weight Loss Program & Work Capacity
- Study
Three-week integrated body weight loss
program markedly improves performance and work capacity in severely obese
patients.
Weight Loss Study - Aim
To assess the effects on performance and work capacity of a short-term
(3-week) integrated body weight loss program consisting of an energy-restricted
diet, nutritional education, psychological counselling and aerobic exercise
training at a constant metabolic load (5 days/week) in 71 severely obese
patients (18 males and 53 females aged 29.3 +/- 0.8 years, with a mean
weight of 113.8 +/- 2.2 kg and a mean BMI of 41.3 +/- 0.5 kg/m(-2)). Body
mass and composition, and maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) were determined
before and after the program. The caloric equivalent of work output and
a performance index (PI) during 10 min of bicycle ergometer pedalling
(50-60 rpm) and 20 min of treadmill walking (incline 0-3 percent) at a
constant metabolic load (50 percent of individual VO2max during the preliminary
conditioning period - 1st week - and 60 percent during the exercise conditioning
period--2nd and 3rd week) were evaluated daily throughout the study.
Weight Loss Study - Results
After the program, body mass reduced significantly (-4.5 percent, p<0.001),
the weight loss being sustained entirely by a significant reduction in
fat mass (-7.6 percent, p<0.001) without any significant changes in
fat-free mass. Absolute and body mass-related VO2max significantly increased
by respectively 14.5 percent and 20.2 percent (p<0.001). Both daily
work output during constant metabolic load (ANOVA, p<0.05-0.001) and
PI (ANOVA, p<0.05-0.001) increased significantly during each week of
the program, leading to a total increase in work output in response to
exercise conditioning of 44.6 +/- 5.8 kcal.
Weight Loss Study - Conclusions
The changes in exercise capacity induced by the present program offer
significant advantages for obese patients that can be quantified in terms
of an improvement in their ability to perform everyday activities, thus
contributing towards improving their quality of life.
Source: Sartorio A, Ottolini S, Agosti
F, Massarini M, Lafortuna CL.
Laboratorio Sperimentale di Ricerche Endocrinologiche, Istituto Auxologico
Italiano, IRCCS, Milan, Italy. 2003
Weight Loss Methods
The science of weight loss and obesity management is constantly evolving,
along with research into weight loss drugs, supplements and gastric bypass
surgery. At present, however, a balanced diet combined with regular exercise
remains the favored weight management strategy of most weight loss experts. Return to Weight Loss Data
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