Elderly obese women display the greatest improvement in stair climbing performance after a 3-week body mass reduction program.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether stair climbing performance and body composition are similarly affected by a body mass reduction (BMR) program in obese individuals of different gender, age and body mass index (BMI) level.


METHODS
Longitudinal, clinical intervention study entailing energy-restricted diet (5023-7535 kJ/day), nutritional education, psychological counselling and moderate physical activity (indoor cycling, outdoor walking, gymnastics routines, five sessions/week) during a 3-week period.


METHODS
A total of 466 male and 807 female subjects categorized as a function of gender, age (< vs >/=50 y) and BMI (< vs >/=40 kg/m(2)).


METHODS
Body mass, stair climbing time and power before and after the BMR program. Fat-free mass and fat mass were also evaluated by bioimpedance analysis, in a representative subgroup of 160 patients, to evaluate the relation between fat-free mass and power output.


RESULTS
Body mass, fat-free mass and fat mass significantly decreased following the BMR program (P<0.001), with male subjects reducing body mass and fat-free mass more than and fat mass less than the female subjects. Stair climbing time decreased (P<0.001) and therefore anaerobic power significantly increased 9.7% after the treatment. The greatest improvement in stair climbing performance was observed in obese women aged >/=50 y. Significant inverse correlations were found between initial power or fat-free mass level and respective percent increases (R=-0.35/-0.37, P<0.001) and between BMR-induced percent changes in body mass and power (R=-0.13, P<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Subjects with the lowest baseline level in stair climbing performance (and probably with the lowest amount of fat-free mass), that is, obese women aged more than 50 y, obtained the largest enhancement after the 3-week BMR program, likely improving overall functional capacities and resulting in greater independence during daily-living activities in such a population.
Sartorio
A
A
Division of Metabolic Diseases III, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Piancavallo (VB), Italy. sartorio@auxologico.it
Lafortuna
C L
CL
Agosti
F
F
Proietti
M
M
Maffiuletti
N A
NA
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004038:Diet, Reducing; D015444:Exercise; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D005082:Physical Exertion; D012737:Sex Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss