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OKURA, TOMOHIRO, YOSHIO NAKATA, KAZUNORI OHKAWARA, SHIGEHARU NUMAO, YASUTOMI KATAYAMA, TOMOAKI MATSUO, AND KIYOJI TANAKA. Effects of aerobic exercise on metabolic syndrome improvement in response to weight reduction. Obesity. 2007;15:2478 -2484. Objective: The objective was to test effects of aerobic exercise training on metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) improvement in response to weight reduction. Research Methods and Procedures: A total of 459 overweight and obese women (age, 49 Ϯ 9 years; BMI, 28 Ϯ 3 kg/m 2 ) were recruited for a baseline examination to test the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and metabolic syndrome prevalence; among these, 67 subjects with MetSyn were treated with 14-week weight-loss programs, which included low-calorie diet and aerobic exercise. The MetSyn was defined according to the Examination Committee of Criteria for "Metabolic Syndrome" in Japan. Maximal oxygen uptake (V O 2max ) during a maximal cycling test was measured as an index of cardiorespiratory fitness at baseline and after the intervention. Results: In the baseline examination, age-and BMI-adjusted odds ratios for MetSyn prevalence in the low, middle, and upper thirds of V O 2max were 1.0 (referent), 0.50 (95% confidence interval, 0.26 to 0.95), and 0.39 (95% confidence interval, 0.14 to 0.96), respectively (linear trend, p ϭ 0.02). The adjusted odds ratios for MetSyn improvement in the two interventions with diet alone and diet plus exercise were 1.0 and 3.68 (95% confidence interval, 1.02 to 17.6; p ϭ 0.04), respectively. Discussion: These results suggest that adding aerobic exercise training to a dietary weight-reduction program further improves MetSyn (adjusted odds ratio, 3.68) in obese women, compared with diet alone. Further studies on an association between V O 2max change and MetSyn improvement are needed.

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Several studies indicate that expression of the peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ (PPARG) gene is influenced by calorie restriction. The aim of this study was to investigate whether PPARG gene variations are associated with weight reduction and changes in coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors in response to a 14‐week calorie restriction. In total, 95 middle‐aged, Japanese women (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) enrolled as subjects for 14 weeks and attended weekly dietary lectures instructing them on how to consume a nutritionally balanced diet of 1,200 kcal/day. Eight single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the PPARG gene (rs1801282 (Pro/Ala), rs2292101, rs2959272, rs1386835, rs709158, rs1175540, rs1175544, and rs1797912) were analyzed. Body weight decreased significantly (−7.7 ± 3.1 kg; −11.3 ± 4.4%) during the intervention. Six PPARG SNPs (rs2959272, rs1386835, rs709158, rs1175540, rs1175544, and rs1797912) were significantly associated with the weight reduction, with rs1175544 having the strongest association (P = 0.004). No differences across the rs1175544 genotypes were observed in any of the blood analyses or in blood pressure. In a multiple regression analysis, the rs1175544 genotypes accounted for 7% of the total weight reduction variance. These data suggest that one SNP of the PPARG genotype accounted for a significant portion of the total body weight reduction variance in response to a short‐term intervention consisting of calorie restriction; however, no relationship was found between these SNPs and the changes in CHD risk factors which accompanied weight loss.

This study showed that gender has a bigger impact on length, width, height and girth parameters of foot than BMI or age. BMI has an impact on both arch height and stiffness. Besides, bilateral asymmetry affects values of height parameters of foot and arch.