OBJECTIVE -To evaluate the influence of a twice-weekly progressive resistance training (PRT) program, without a concomitant weight loss diet, on abdominal fat and insulin sensitivity in older men with type 2 diabetes.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -Nine older men (aged 66.6 Ϯ 3.1) with type 2 diabetes participated in a 16-week PRT supervised program (50 -80% of the one repetition maximum), for all main muscle groups. Basal glycemia, HbA 1c , diet, habitual physical activity, body composition, and upper/lower maximal strength were measured. Insulin sensitivity was determined according to Bergman's minimal model procedure and abdominal fat was obtained by computed tomography. The measurements were taken 4 weeks before training (Ϫ4), immediately before training (0), and at 8-week intervals (i.e., weeks 8 and 16) during the 16-week training period.RESULTS -No significant variation was observed in any of the above selected parameters during the 4-week control period. After PRT, both leg and arm maximal strength increased significantly by 17.1 and 18.2%, respectively. Visceral and subcutaneous abdominal fat decreased significantly by 10.3% (from 249.5 Ϯ 97.9 to 225.6 Ϯ 96.6 cm 3 , P Ͻ 0.01) and by 11.2% (from 356.0 Ϯ 127.5 to 308.6 Ϯ 118.8 cm 3 , P Ͻ 0.01), respectively, while no changes were observed in body mass. PRT significantly increased insulin sensitivity by 46.3% (from 2.0 Ϯ 1.2 to 2.8 Ϯ 1.6 ⅐ 10 4 ⅐ min Ϫ1 ⅐ U Ϫ1 ⅐ ml Ϫ1 , P Ͻ 0.01), whereas it significantly decreased (Ϫ7.1%, P Ͻ 0.05) fasting blood glucose (from 146.6 Ϯ 28.3 to 135.0 Ϯ 29.3 mg/dl). Finally, a 15.5% increase in energy intake (from 2,287.1 Ϯ 354.7 to 2,619.0 Ϯ 472.1 kcal/day, P Ͻ 0.05) was observed.CONCLUSIONS -Two sessions per week of PRT, without a concomitant weight loss diet, significantly improves insulin sensitivity and fasting glycemia and decreases abdominal fat in older men with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 28:662-667, 2005

After a high-carbohydrate, low-fat meal, overweight men had a lower fat oxidation and a higher fractional hepatic fat synthesis than did lean men.

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Background: The relationship of symptoms with objective measurements, as well as some of the mechanisms involved in lactose tolerance after yoghurt consumption, remain unclear. Methods: The trial had a double‐blind design in which 22 lactose malabsorbers received 25 g daily lactose in fresh (living bacteria > 108 cfu/g) yoghurt or heated (< 102 cfu/g) yoghurt for 15 days, followed by a cross‐over (15 days) after a wash‐out period (14 days). The lactose digestion was determined by the breath H2 test, the gastric emptying (GE) with a 13C‐acetate breath test and the revealed transit time (OCTT) by 15N‐lactose‐ureide test. Subjects reported their gastrointestinal symptoms (GIS) in a validated questionnaire. Results: Breath H2 test indicated more effective lactose digestion after fresh yoghurt intake. The OCTT was shorter after heated yoghurt ingestion as compared with the fresh. There was lower severity of GIS (P < 0.05) after fresh yoghurt intake, and this showed an inverse correlation with OCTT (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Delayed orocoecal transit time was associated with fewer gastrointestinal symptoms. The improved lactose digestion and tolerance of fresh yoghurt should be mainly attributed to the presence of living bacteria.

The amount and composition of food eaten influence body weight regulation, which requires that, in the long term, energy intake matches energy expenditure and that the oxidation rate to be equal to intake for each and separate nutrients. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of two liquid formulas with different macronutrient composition, a high carbohydrate (HC) meal as compared to a high fat (HF) meal, on substrate oxidation and on thermic effect of food (TEF). Eighteen lean and healthy women which were fed a HC diet during the 3 preceding d were studied for a further 4 h after meal intake. The test meals provided fixed energy intake and whose calculated FQ were 0.77 for HF meal, and 0.96 for HC meal. The mean NPRQs were higher (P < 0.01) in the HC group than in the HF group, even with values greater than 1.00 indicating net lipid synthesis (NL), and which correlated with metabolic rate (MR) value (P < 0.05), glucose (P < 0.05), and heart rate (HR) values. Carbohydrate (CHO) oxidation was higher with the HC than with HF meal (P < 0.01) and correlated with the MR (P < 0.05). Protein oxidation rate rose above baseline (P < 0.01); this increase was accompanied by with a negative CHO balance. It is concluded that the change in fuel selection and the increase of TEF is mainly due to CHO intake and metabolism, respectively, and that surplus of dietary CHO of preceding days together with a large load of CHO can exceed the glycogen storage capacity and trigger NL.

The long-term effects of dietary strategies designed to combat the metabolic syndrome (MetS) remain unknown. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of a new dietary strategy based on macronutrient distribution, antioxidant capacity and meal frequency (MEtabolic Syndrome REduction in NAvarra (RESMENA) diet) for the treatment of the MetS when compared with the American Heart Association guidelines, used as Control. Subjects with the MetS (fifty-two men and forty-one women, age 49 (SE 1) years, BMI 36·11 (SE 0·5) kg/m 2 ) were randomly assigned to one of two dietary groups. After a 2-month nutritional-learning intervention period, during which a nutritional assessment was made for the participants every 15 d, a 4-month self-control period began. No significant differences were found between the groups concerning anthropometry, but only the RESMENA group exhibited a significant decrease in body weight (2 1·7 %; P¼ 0·018), BMI (21·7 %; P¼ 0·019), waist circumference (21·8 %; P¼ 0·021), waist:hip ratio (2 1·4 %; P¼0·035) and android fat mass (2 6·9 %; P¼ 0·008). The RESMENA group exhibited a significant decrease in alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) concentrations (226·8 %; P¼0·008 and 2 14·0 %; P¼0·018, respectively), while the Control group exhibited a significant increase in glucose (7·9 %; P¼ 0·011), AST (11·3 %; P¼ 0·045) and uric acid (9·0 %; P,0·001) concentrations. LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations were increased (Control group: 34·4 %; P, 0·001 and RESMENA group: 33·8 %; P, 0·001), but interestingly so were the LDL-C:apoB ratio (Control group: 28·7 %; P,0·001, RESMENA group: 17·1 %; P¼0·009) and HDL-cholesterol concentrations (Control group: 21·1 %; P, 0·001, RESMENA group: 8·7; P¼ 0·001). Fibre was the dietary component that most contributed to the improvement of anthropometry, while body-weight loss explained changes in some biochemical markers. In conclusion, the RESMENA diet is a good long-term dietary treatment for the MetS.

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Increased circulating adiponectin and insulin sensitivity are usually observed after body fat loss induced by a weight‐loss diet. Progressive resistance training (PRT) without a concomitant weight‐loss diet significantly decreases visceral fat, thus improving insulin sensitivity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to ascertain the effects of combined 16‐week PRT and weight‐loss diet on circulating adiponectin and insulin sensitivity index. Thirty‐four obese (BMI: 30–40 kg/m2) women, aged 40–60 year, were randomized to three groups: a control group (C; n = 9); a diet group (WL; n = 12) with a caloric restriction of 500 kcal/d; and a diet plus resistance training group (WL+RT; n = 13) with the same caloric restriction as group WL and a 16‐week supervised whole body PRT of two sessions/week. Both WL and WL+RT groups showed similar decreases in body mass (−6.3% and −7.7%) and visceral fat (−19.9% and −20.5%). WL resulted in an expected increase in circulating levels of adiponectin (P = 0.07) and insulin sensitivity. However, circulating total adiponectin decreased (P < 0.05) in WL+RT group, whereas an improvement in different cardiovascular risk factors (insulin sensitivity, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C), etc.) was observed. In conclusion, in obese women a 16‐week combined PRT and weight‐loss diet is accompanied by significant improvements in different cardiovascular risk factors in spite of a significant decrease of circulating adiponectin.