Reducing diet and/or exercise training decreases the lipid and lipoprotein risk factors of moderately obese women.

Objective: This study was designed to measure the influence of diet, exercise or both on serum lipids and lipoproteins in obese women.Methods: Obese subjects were randomly divided into one of four groups: diet alone (1,200–1,300 kcal/day, NCEP, Step I), exercise alone (five 45 minute sessions per week at 78.4 ± 0.5% maximum heart rate), exercise and diet, and controls. Maximal aerobic power, body composition, diet, serum lipids and lipoproteins were measured in all subjects at baseline and after a 12-week intervention period. Subjects included 91 moderately obese (45.6 ± 1.1 y, body mass index 33.1 ± 0.6 kg/m2) and 30 nonobese (43.2 ± 2.3 y, body mass index 21.4 ± 0.34 kg/m2) women who were recruited from the surrounding community. Independent t tests were used to compare obese and nonobese subjects at baseline. The 12-week intervention data from the obese groups were analyzed using a 4 × 2 repeated measures ANOVA design.Results: Cross-sectional comparisons at baseline showed obese subjects had significan...