Intervention with education and exercise reverses the metabolic syndrome in adults

Abstract About 29% of the adult population of Talca, Chile, suffers from the metabolic syndrome (MS), a value higher than the national prevalence. Evidence indicates that exercise and nutritional changes reduce the predominance of this syndrome. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of a structured interventional program of physical activity and nutritional counseling in adults with MS. Fifty-one subjects were studied: 27 were included in the interventional program (I-MS). The control group was formed by 24 individuals who did not participate in the program (NI-MS). We assessed body weight, corporal composition, arterial pressure, glycemia, and lipid profile at baseline and after 18 weeks of treatment. After this period, the I-SM group showed a significant decrease in triglycerides (geometric mean 202.2 to 110.5 mg/dL, P P = .001), waist circumference (mean men 101.5 to 94.1 cm, P P P 2 , P