Effects of aerobic exercise on metabolic syndrome improvement in response to weight reduction.

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 +/- 9 years; BMI, 28 +/- 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 (Vo(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 Vo(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 = 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 = 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 Vo(2max) change and MetSyn improvement are needed.