Achieve Optimal Fitness by Calorie Reduction Plus Aerobic Exercise

To lose weight and improve physique, University of Wyoming (USA) researchers encourage a combined regimen of cutting calorie intake and engaging in regular exercise.  Enette Larson-Meyer and colleagues  enrolled 36 overweight men  and women in a six-month study involving caloric restriction (daily calories reduced by 25%), caloric restriction plus aerobic exercise (daily calories reduced by 25% plus exercise sufficient to increase energy output by 12.5%) or control group (weight-maintenance diet. )  At the end of the study period, both the caloric-restriction group and the caloric-restriction plus exercise group lost about 10% of their body weight.  In addition, the participants who engaged in exercise with calorie reduction had better health outcomes.  Observing that: “[C]ombining [caloric restriction] with exercise increased aerobic fitness in parallel with improved insulin sensitivity, LDL cholesterol, and diastolic [blood pressure],” the researchers state that: “The results lend support for inclusion of an exercise component in weight loss programs to improve metabolic fitness.”