A 6-week diet and exercise intervention alters metabolic syndrome risk factors in obese Chinese children aged 11-13 years

Purpose: A randomized, controlled trial was conducted to determine whether a 6-week low calorie diet and aerobic exercise intervention could alter metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk factors in pre-pubescent obese Chinese children. Methods: The subjects were randomized into diet and exercise (DE) and control (C) groups. The DE group ingested 1600-2000 kcal/day adjusted to each participant's basal metabolic rate, and engaged in high-volume aerobic exercise (6 days/week, twice daily, for 3 h per session) for 6 weeks. A total of 215 obese children between the ages of 11 and 13 years were recruited into the study, with 167 subjects (DE, n = 95; C, n = 72) completing all phases. Pre- and post-study measures included body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, body fat percentage, blood pressure and other MetS-related markers from fasting blood samples (serum cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, and glucose). Results: Compared to controls, the DE subjects experienced significantly reduced levels for all outcome markers (p < 0.05), except for fasting blood glucose in boys (p = 0.09). Conclusion: An intensive, 6-week diet and exercise intervention had favorable effects in altering MetS risk factors in obese Chinese children aged 11 to 13. Copyright (C) 2013, Shanghai University of Sport. Production and hosting by Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.