The addition of TC to diet education is more effective than diet education alone at improving diet quality and emerging CHD risk factors, such as LDL particle size, in obese older women.

Low bone mineral density (BMD) is common in older adults, occurring in up to 56% of women over age 50 years. This condition increases the risk for falls, fractures and restricted independence. Limited research exists on the combined effect of diet and exercise interventions on BMD in this population. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a behaviorally‐based diet and exercise intervention on BMD in older obese women. Twenty‐six obese women (mean age 61.5±6.0 years; mean body mass index 34.3±4.0 kg/m2; mean total BMD T‐score: 1.1±0.1) were randomly assigned to either a diet education group (DE) (n=13) or a diet education plus Tai Chi group (DETC) (n=13) for 16 weeks. Both groups received 45 minutes of diet education per week for 16 weeks. Those in DETC also participated in three 45 minute Tai Chi classes three times a week. Dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to evaluate total body and femoral BMD. There was no significant change in total body (DE 1.08±0.3 vs 1.09±0.3 and DERT 0.93±0.3 vs 1.00±0.3) or femoral BMD (DE 0.98±0.12 vs 0.97±0.05 and DERT 1.00±0.9 vs 1.00±0.08) in both groups. The combination of diet education and Tai Chi did not impact BMD more than diet education alone. This may be due to the short duration of the study. Further research is needed to clarify the separate and/or combined roles of diet education and Tai Chi in this population and to study the long‐term effects.

Diet quality impacts chronic disease risk and can be measured by the Dietary Screening Tool (DST) and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Index, however little research has compared these two methods. A 16‐week randomized clinical trial examined the additive impact of Tai Chi (TC) in obese, older women. Subjects completed a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and a DST. The FFQ output was converted to the DASH diet score. The DST provided a summary score. DST and DASH Diet scores were compared at baseline and post intervention using the following risk categories: <25th percentile as at risk, ≥25th –<75th percentile as possible risk, and ≥75th percentile as not at risk. “At risk” and “possible risk” categories were combined and compared to “not at risk.” Thirteen women received modified DASH Diet Education (DE) and 14 women received TC in addition (TC+DE). Mean ages were 62.6 ± 5.9 y for DE and 60.4 ± 6.0 y for TC+DE. The number of participants in each risk category from the two questionnaires at baseline were compared and significant differences were seen as determined by fisher's exact test (p =.01). Though not significant, from baseline to post, those subjects classified as “not at risk” via DST increased from 4 to 15 versus from 5 to 7 via DASH score. Discrepancies between the classifications of risk may be because the DST measures diet patterns and the FFQ reflects nutrient intake.Research supported by the USDA.Grant Funding Source: USDA