Effect of 12-Week Interventions Involving Nordic Walking Exercise and a Modified Diet on the Anthropometric Parameters and Blood Lipid Profiles in Overweight and Obese Ex-Coal Miners

• Published in: Obesity facts Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 201 - 212
• Main Authors: Sadowska-Krępa, Ewa, Gdańska, Agnieszka, Rozpara, Michał, Pilch, Wanda, Přidalová, Miroslava, Bańkowski, Sebastian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland S. Karger AG 01.05.2020; Karger Publishers
• Subjects: Body measurements; caloric restriction; Calories; Cholesterol; Coal; Diabetes; Diaries; Diet; Dietary fiber; Eating behavior; Energy; Exercise; Fatty acids; High density lipoprotein; Hypertension; Intervention; lipid disorders; Lipids; Lipoproteins; Meals; Metabolic disorders; Obesity; Overweight; physical activity; Physical fitness; Research Article; Retirement; Walking; Poland; Lipid disorders; Obesity; Physical activity; Retirement; Caloric restriction
• ISSN: 1662-4025; 1662-4033
• DOI: 10.1159/000506403

Background: Overweight and obesity after retirement are likely to be caused by unhealthy eating habits and the energy intake exceeding the energy expenditure. Objectives: This study was designed to assess the effects of two 12-week interventions involving, respectively, either regular physical activity or a modified lower-calorie diet on the anthropometric parameters and blood lipid profiles in overweight and obese retired miners with lipid disorders. Design: The study participants (n = 30, aged 58.7 ± 4.1 years, body height 174.8 ± 7.3 cm, body weight 96.6 ± 13.9 kg) were randomly assigned to 2 intervention groups: the Nordic walking group (NW), which exercised with intensity from 60 to 70% of participants’ maximal heart rates for 1 h 3 times a week, and the modified diet group (MD). Modification of the diet consisted of reducing the daily energy intake by 30%, increasing the dietary content of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids and dietary fiber, and reducing the proportion of saturated fatty acids. The variables assessed at baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks were: anthropometric parameters (body weight, fat mass content [FM], fat percentage [BF], BMI, waist circumference [WC], hip circumference [HC], and waist-to-hip ratio [WHR]) and blood lipid indicators (total cholesterol [TC], triglycerides [TG], low density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C], and high density lip­oprotein cholesterol [HDL-C]). Results: The body weight of the participants in the NW was lower at week 12 by an average of 5 kg, BMI by 6%, FB by 19%, FM by 15%, WC by 8%, HC by 6%, and WHR by 3%. In the MD, the respective decreases were 8 kg and 8, 25, 20, 6, 2, and 7%. In the MD, the postintervention concentrations of TC and TG were within the reference range. Conclusion: Both 12-week interventions improved the anthropometric parameters and blood lipid profiles of retired heavy manual workers, with the improvements being more pronounced in the dieting group.