Effect of 12-Week Interventions Involving Nordic Walking Exercise and a Modified Diet on the Anthropometric Parameters and Blood Lipid Profiles in Overweight and Obese Ex-Coal Miners

Abstract

Background: Overweight and obesity after retirement are likely to be caused by unhealthy eating habits and the energy intake exceeding the energy expenditure. Objectives: This study was designed to assess the effects of two 12-week interventions involving, respectively, either regular physical activity or a modified lower-calorie diet on the anthropometric parameters and blood lipid profiles in overweight and obese retired miners with lipid disorders. Design:The study participants (n = 30, aged 58.7 ± 4.1 years, body height 174.8 ± 7.3 cm, body weight 96.6 ± 13.9 kg) were randomly assigned to 2 intervention groups: the Nordic walking group (NW), which exercised with intensity from 60 to 70% of participants' maximal heart rates for 1 h 3 times a week, and the modified diet group (MD). Modification of the diet consisted of reducing the daily energy intake by 30%, increasing the dietary content of mono-and polyunsaturated fatty acids and dietary fiber, and reducing the proportion of saturated fatty acids. The variables assessed at baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks were: anthropometric parameters (body weight, fat mass content [FM], fat percentage [BF], BMI, waist circumference [WC], hip circumference [HC], and waist-to-hip ratio [WHR]) and blood lipid indicators (total cholesterol [TC], triglycerides [TG], low density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C], and high density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C]). Results: The body weight of the participants in the NW was lower at week 12 by an average of 5 kg, BMI 7%. In the MD, the postintervention concentrations of TC and TG were within the reference range. Conclusion: Both 12-week interventions improved the anthropometric parameters and blood lipid profiles of retired heavy manual workers, with the improvements being more pronounced in the dieting group.

Effects of a 12-week walking intervention on circulating lipid profiles and adipokines in normal weight and abdominal obese female college students

“…However, large differences were observed between the baseline and week-12 levels of lipid parameters for the modified lower-calorie diet compared to those for walking interventions. 45 Our study agrees with the literature by showing that the walking intervention was positively associated with an increase in HDL-C levels and negatively associated with a decrease in TG, TG/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C values in the AOG, which was not observed in the NWCG, suggesting that the 12-week walking intervention was more effective in improving the lipid profiles and cardiorespiratory fitness of participants in the AOG.…”

“…This is inconsistent with the results of previous studies, which showed that walking interventions improved the anthropometric parameters and blood lipid profiles. 45 Brandon & Elliott-Lloyd (2006) found that sedentary and obese American women, excluding African Americans, experienced reductions in the body weight and fat content after a 16-week brisk walking intervention, 46 which was another inconsistency in the reports of effects of walking interventions on weight loss across many studies. The ACSM recommends walking as a popular aerobic exercise and suggests a 40–59% heart rate reserve for 150 min per week at the beginning to a 60% heart rate reserve for 250–300 min per week at a vigorous intensity as an appropriate intensity to reduce obesity.…”

Effects of Nordic walking in Alzheimer’s disease: A single-blind randomized controlled clinical trial

“…Several studies have shown that NW training also induces positive changes in the lipid profile of elderly women supplemented with vitamin D [ 41 ], and in overweight and obese subjects [ 42 ]. Specifically, NW training induces a decrease in total blood cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels [ 41 ].…”

The effect of calorie restriction on the anthropometric parameters, HOMA-IR index, and lipid profile of female office workers with overweight and obesity: a preliminary study

“…The COVID-19 pandemic, with its lockdowns, working from home, and concerns of contracting coronavirus, is conducive to overeating while discouraging physical activity [38,39]. In these circumstances, calorie restriction diets may prove an effective way to help people maintain a healthy body mass and lipid profile [40][41][42].…”