Issue 128 Item 3 Short-term Diet and Exercise Program for Obese Men Experience D

Obese men who participated in a 3-week program that included a high-fiber, low-fat diet and daily exercise in blood pressure, oxidative stress, nitric oxide availability and metabolic profile. Dr. R. James Barnard, senior researcher attributed the effect to "decreasing their consumption of fat and refined sugar and increasing their consumption of grains, vegetables and fruits–foods high in antioxidants–as well as exercising daily."

He also noted that the findings have "implications for the control of hypertension as a result of increased nitric oxide availability, which lowers blood pressure and allows patients to get off of medication. It also has implications for reducing the risk for atherosclerosis and cancer as oxidative stress plays an important role in these common health problems."

Dr. Barnard, from the University of California Los Angeles, and colleagues studied 11 obese men, 38 to 72 years of age, who were placed on a high-fiber, low-fat diet and 45 to 60 minutes of daily exercise. Seven of the men were hypertensive, and two had type 2 diabetes, according to the report in a rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

After 3 weeks of the program, there were significant reductions in body weight and body mass index, without elimination of obesity. There were substantial decreases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (14% and 10%, respectively) and in fasting glucose (7%). There was also a significant improvement in the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol.

Serum 8-isoprostaglandin F2-alpha decreased significantly and there was a significant increase in urinary NO excretion. The correlation between increased urinary NO excretion and the decrease in serum insulin was significant, they add.

"Although body weight decreased slightly, obesity was still present, and so the changes are possible in the absence of significant weight loss," said lead author of the study, Dr. Christian K. Roberts.

Dr. Roberts stated that, "Physicians must encourage their patients to modify their lifestyle as a means of prevention and reversal of chronic disease risk factors such as hypertension, hyperinsulinemia, hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress."

According to the results, recommendations need to emphasize to patients to consume a diet high in fiber, fruits and vegetables as opposed to focusing on weight loss per se, as it is well established now that a patients’ metabolic profile can be improved significantly without the need for large weight loss. Circulation 2002;106:000-000