title: Effect of a short-term diet and exercise intervention on metabolic syndrome in overweight children.
abstract: Overweight and the metabolic syndrome are increasing radically in children. The present study was designed to examine the effects of lifestyle modification in 16 children who were placed on a high-fiber, low-fat diet in a 2-week residential program where food was provided ad libitum and daily aerobic exercise was performed. In each subject, pre- and postintervention fasting blood was drawn. Insulin (27.2 +/- 3.5 vs 18.3 +/- 1.7 microU/mL, P < .01), homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (5.79 +/- 0.81 vs 4.13 +/- 0.38, P < .05), and body weight (92.0 +/- 7.0 vs 88.0 +/- 6.8 kg, P < .01) were reduced significantly. Total cholesterol (165 +/- 7.8 vs 127 +/- 7.4 mg/dL, P < .01), low-density lipoprotein (94.1 +/- 8.2 vs 68.5 +/- 6.7 mg/dL, P < .01), triglycerides (146 +/- 16.2 vs 88.1 +/- 8.1 mg/dL, P < .01), and total cholesterol-high-density lipoprotein (4.16 +/- 0.30 vs 3.34 +/- 0.30, P < .01) and low-density lipoprotein-high-density lipoprotein ratios (2.41 +/- 0.3 vs 1.86 +/- 0.2, P < .01) were reduced, with no change in high-density lipoprotein observed (42.3 +/- 2.4 vs 40.8 +/- 3.0 mg/dL). Systolic blood pressure (130 +/- 3.1 vs 117 +/- 1.8 mm Hg, P < .001) and diastolic blood pressure (74.3 +/- 3.0 vs 67.2 +/- 2.3 mm Hg, P = .01) also decreased. Most notably, before the intervention, 7 of the 16 subjects were classified with metabolic syndrome. After the 2-week intervention, despite remaining overweight, reversal of metabolic syndrome was noted in all 7 subjects. All of these changes occurred despite only modest improvements in the percentage of body fat (37.5% +/- 1.1% vs 36.4% +/- 1.2%, P < .01) and body mass index (33.2 +/- 1.9 vs 31.8 +/- 1.9 kg/m(2), P < .01). These results indicate that a short-term rigorous diet and exercise regimen can reverse metabolic syndrome, even in youth without documented atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological Science, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Christian K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: R James
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Barnard
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D050177:Overweight
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D004043:Dietary Fiber; D008055:Lipids; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL