Weight loss versus exercise to reduce risk for coronary artery disease
Canadian Medical Association Journal 1996; 154: 1219-1220
Source: Katzel LI, Bleecker ER, Colman EG et al: Effects of weight loss vs aerobic exercise training on risk factors for coronary disease in healthy, obese, middle-aged and older men: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 1995; 274: 1915-1921
To compare the effects of lifestyle interventions on risk factors for coronary artery disease in obese but otherwise healthy men, researchers in Baltimore randomly assigned 170 men aged 40 to 80 years to weight loss, exercise or control interventions for 9 months. The weight-loss group reduced daily energy intake with the goal of reducing body weight by more than 10%, the exercise group performed aerobic exercise for 45 minutes 3 times per week with the goal of increasing maxi-
mal aerobic capacity by 10% while maintaining body weight, and the control group did not change their diets or level of physical activity. The weight-loss group decreased body mass by a mean of 10% with no change in maximal aerobic capacity, and the exercise group increased maximal aerobic capacity by 17% without changing their weight. The weight-loss group, but not the exercise group, had significant increases in high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol levels and significant decreases in insulin levels and in blood pressure when compared with the control group. The weight-loss group also showed a greater improvement in glucose tolerance than the exercise group.
| CMAJ April 15, 1996 (vol 154, no 8) |