Metabolic syndrome in men and women with upper or lower types of body fat distribution

The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome as a cluster of risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus and its individual components in groups of men and women with primary obesity having different types of fat distribution. The study involved 142 men and 185 women with primary alimentary-constitutional obesity. The study participants were divided into 2 groups depending on waist-to-hip ratio value. Standardized criteria were used to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its individual components among the examined men and women. The ratios of the number of participants with lower or upper type of fat distribution in men and women were 28:114 and 84:101, respectively. Hence the frequency of lower type of fat distribution was 19.7% in men and 45.4% in women (p < 0.000). Men with lower type of body fat distribution as compared to upper type were characterized by a lower prevalence of abdominal obesity (1.9 times), hypertriglyceridemia (1.4 times), low HDL-C (1.6 times), and hypertension (2 times). The frequency of metabolic syndrome in men with lower type of fat distribution was lower by 2.7 times than that of men with upper type of fat distribution. Women with lower type of fat distribution as compared to upper type had a lower prevalence of abdominal obesity (1.2 times), hypertriglyceridemia (1.8 times), low HDL-C (1.2-fold), and hypertension (in 1.5 times). The frequency of metabolic syndrome in women with lower type of fat distribution was lower by 1.9 times than that of women with upper type of fat distribution. Both men and women in the groups with lower type of fat distribution were missing such a component of metabolic syndrome as hyperglycemia i.e. they had the minimal risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Bright light enhances the efficiency of physical activity in combination with a restrictive diet

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of measures aimed at correcting obesity in women and including bright light exposure during aerobic exercise combined with a restrictive diet. A one-stage, randomized study involved 80 obese women aged 20 to 58 years. The inclusion criterion for selecting participants for this research was the presence of primary alimentary-constitutional obesity with body mass index equal to or higher than 30 kg/m2. All the women were distributed into three groups according to the set of applied treatments. In Group 1, the women were on a restrictive diet;in Group 2, the restrictive diet was accompanied with daily aerobic exercise;in Group 3, women were exposed to bright light during exercise. Before and after the treatment course (3 weeks), body weight, waist and hip circumferences were measured;fat amount was determined by the impedancemetry method;and oxygen consumption was determined by indirect calorimetry. Women in Group 1 had reduced body weight, waist and hip circumferences, fat mass and oxygen consumption. Similar changes were identified in women of Group 2, but weight loss was greater, and the level of oxygen consumption increased as compared to the baseline. In women of Group 3, weight loss and increased oxygen consumption were more pronounced than in those of Group 2. The number of metabolic equivalents (MET) in women of Group 3 increased to nearly 1, which corresponded to the value of this index that reflected the resting metabolic rate in patients with normal body weight. Thus, exposure to bright full-spectrum light increases energy metabolism and enhances the effectiveness of exercises, despite prolonged food restriction, which is one of the mechanisms to improve the efficiency of obesity correction.