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Fitness & Exercise for Senior Citizens
Is Diet or Exercise Best to Prevent Diabetes Flip
a Coin Says Study
Results are from research that is part of NIH-funded
longevity study
November 8, 2006 You are getting older. You see
many of your friends suffering with diabetes. You know it is one of the
leading causes of premature death. What is the best way to avoid it
exercise of diet?
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on
Senior Citizen Fitness & Exercise |
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It's a toss up, according to a new study by a Saint
Louis University researcher who is a member of a Washington University
team of scientists examining whether a calorie-restrictive diet can
extend people's lifespan.
"Both diet and exercise provide profound benefits
to reduce the risk of diabetes. Both those who restrict calories and
those who exercise benefit from weight loss," says Edward Weiss, Ph.D.,
lead author and assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics at Saint
Louis University's Doisy College of Health Sciences.
"We thought exercise probably would produce greater
benefits. But both of these are providing beneficial health
improvements."
Weiss said the scientists looked at markers for
developing diabetes because the disease is one of the main causes of
premature death.
The researchers studied 50 to 60 year olds whose
body mass index was between 23 and 30. That places them at the high end
of normal weight or overweight, but not obese.
"People weren't way out of whack in terms of their
body composition," Weiss says.
The study participants were divided into three
groups - with 18 each in the diet and exercise groups and 10 in the
control group. The year long study was funded by the National Institutes
of Health.
All participants had their insulin action and
glucose tolerance, which both are markers for diabetes, evaluated at the
beginning and end of the study. In addition, their weight, body
composition and energy intake were measured at the beginning of the
study and at one, three, six, nine and 12 month intervals.
Those who restricted calories met weekly with a
dietitian who helped them develop individualized menu plans and guided
them to reduce portion sizes and replace high calorie foods with lower
caloric choices.
Their goal was to reduce their calorie consumption
by 16 percent the first three months and by 20 percent for the next
nine. Their progress was tracked by keeping food diaries and the
doubly-labeled water test, which is the gold standard in measuring the
rate of a person's metabolism or the amount of energy expended.
Exercisers - or those who expended more calories
-- had the goal of burning 16 percent more calories for the first three
months, increasing to 20 percent the next nine months. They met weekly
with an exercise trainer and had open access to a fitness center. To
meet their goal, they exercised for between an hour and 90 minutes a day
and tracked their progress on a heart rate monitor that recorded
calories burned.
"As they got fit, the treadmill could be speeded
up. They could exercise on a steeper grade and they could burn more
calories," Weiss says. "All of them learned very quickly the most
efficient way to burn more calories was through cardio. If they pushed
themselves, the numbers added up quickly."
While those in the control group could request
general advice on eating a healthy diet and free passes to a yoga class,
few did, Weiss says.
Glucose tolerance and insulin levels improved at
about the same levels in both the dieters and exercisers. They also lost
weight. Those in the control group didn't lose weight or have changes to
their glucose tolerance or insulin levels.
"The next step is to determine what happens when
you exercise and diet to lose weight," Weiss says. "We don't know if the
combination is going to provide greater benefits."
Editor's Notes:
Weiss, who also is an adjunct research assistant
professor at Washington University School of Medicine, conducted the
research in the laboratory of John O. Holloszy, M.D., professor of
medicine at Washington University. It was published in the November
issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. For information
about upcoming research involving calorie restriction, call Morgan at
(314) 747-3182.
Long a leader in health professions education,
Saint Louis University began its nursing program in 1928 and the first
baccalaureate degree program in an allied health profession in 1929.
Today the Doisy College of Health Sciences offers degrees in nursing,
clinical laboratory sciences, health information management,
investigative and medical sciences, nuclear medicine technology,
nutrition and dietetics, occupational science and occupational therapy,
physical therapy and a physician assistant program.
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