Oxidative stress is related to chronic disease in obesity, but is reversible with one or more interventions described above.

Mobility disability is becoming prevalent in the obese older population (> or = 60 years of age). We included a total of 13 cross-sectional and 15 longitudinal studies based on actual physical assessments of mobility in the obese older population in this review. We systematically examined existing evidence of which adiposity estimate best predicted mobility disability. Cross-sectional studies (82-4000 participants) showed poorer lower extremity mobility with increasing obesity severity in both men and women. All longitudinal studies (1-22 years) except for one, reported relationships between adiposity and declining mobility. While different physical tests made interpretation challenging, a consistent finding was that walking, stair climbing and chair rise ability were compromised with obesity, especially if the body mass index (BMI) exceeded 35 kg m(-2). More studies found that obese women were at an increased risk for mobility impairment than men. Existing evidence suggests that BMI and waist circumference are emerging as the more consistent predictors of the onset or worsening of mobility disability. Limited interventional evidence shows that weight loss is related with increased mobility and lower extremity function. Additional longitudinal studies are warranted that address overall body composition fat and muscle mass or change on future disability.

There is growing evidence that yoga may offer a safe and cost-effective intervention for Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (DM 2). However, systematic reviews are lacking. This article critically reviews the published literature regarding the effects of yoga-based programs on physiologic and anthropometric risk profiles and related clinical outcomes in adults with DM 2. We performed a comprehensive literature search using four computerized English and Indian scientific databases. The search was restricted to original studies (1970–2006) that evaluated the metabolic and clinical effects of yoga in adults with DM 2. Studies targeting clinical populations with cardiovascular disorders that included adults with comorbid DM were also evaluated. Data were extracted regarding study design, setting, target population, intervention, comparison group or condition, outcome assessment, data analysis and presentation, follow-up, and key results, and the quality of each study was evaluated according to specific predetermined criteria. We identified 25 eligible studies, including 15 uncontrolled trials, 6 non-randomized controlled trials and 4 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Overall, these studies suggest beneficial changes in several risk indices, including glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, lipid profiles, anthropometric characteristics, blood pressure, oxidative stress, coagulation profiles, sympathetic activation and pulmonary function, as well as improvement in specific clinical outcomes. Yoga may improve risk profiles in adults with DM 2, and may have promise for the prevention and management of cardiovascular complications in this population. However, the limitations characterizing most studies preclude drawing firm conclusions. Additional high-quality RCTs are needed to confirm and further elucidate the effects of standardized yoga programs in populations with DM 2.

VINCENT, HEATHER K., CHERYL BOURGUIGNON, AND KEVIN R. VINCENT. Resistance training lowers exercise-induced oxidative stress and homocysteine levels in overweight and obese older adults. Obesity. 2006;14: 1921-1930. Objective: To compare exercise-induced oxidative stress and levels of homocysteine and cholesterol in normalweight and overweight older adults after resistance exercise (RX). Research Methods and Procedures:This interventional study was conducted at a wellness center. Forty-nine older adults (age range, 60 to 72 years) were stratified by BMI (Ͻ25 kg/m 2 normal weight, Ն25 kg/m 2 overweight/obese) and then randomly assigned to either a control non-exercise group or an RX group. The RX group completed a 6-month training program. Exercise-induced lipid hydroperoxides (PEROXs) and thiobarbituric-reactive acid substances, homocysteine, lipoprotein a, cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were measured before and after the 6-month RX program. Results: PEROXs and thiobarbituric-reactive acid substances were lower in both the overweight/obese and normal-weight RX-trained groups compared with control groups (p Ͻ 0.05). Homocysteine levels were lower in both overweight/obese and normal-weight RX groups compared with control groups (p Ͻ 0.05). Lipoprotein a, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were not different in normal-weight and overweight/obese groups before or after RX. The change in muscle strength was correlated with homocysteine at 6 months (r ϭ Ϫ0.452, p Ͻ 0.05), whereas the change in PEROXs was correlated with the change in body fat (r ϭ Ϫ0.329). Discussion: To our knowledge, these data are the first to show that RX reduces exercise-induced oxidative stress and homocysteine regardless of adiposity, indicating that this protection can be afforded in an older, overweight/obese population as effectively as in healthy older adults. These data suggest that RX may afford some protection against emerging cardiovascular risk factors using a mode of exercise that supports body weight.