Nutritional status and energy expenditure after a programme of nutrition education and combined aerobic/resistance training in obese women

SummaryBackground & aimswe investigated changes in markers of nutritional status and energy expenditure after a programme of nutrition education and combined aerobic/resistance training in obese women and distinguished these changes in association with the loss, or not, of body weight.MethodsObese women (30–50 years) participated in a nutritional education and physical training programme for four months. Variables analysed: anthropometric measures, body composition (by DEXA) and some biochemical markers of nutritional status (leptin, IGF-I, pre-albumin, albumin, hemogram) and of risk of chronic diseases (blood glucose, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triacylglycerol).ResultsBody mass changes were from −6.0 to +4.0 Kg. All women decreased waist circumference, monocyte count and leptin, changes associated with improved health. In approximately 20% of the women, most of the markers of protein nutritional status decreased below the normal range, probably due inadequate dietary protein intake. The women who did not lose weight presented a reduction in resting energy expenditure and increased their fat intake from the diet.ConclusionsThe programme resulted in the improvement of several markers of chronic diseases; at the same time, variables related to protein nutritional status worsened. None of these observations appeared to be related to the fact of losing, or not, body weight. It may be suggested that obese individuals who improve their level of physical exercise increase their need for protein, probably above the current recommendation.