Weight loss in obese women--exercise v. dietary education.

It was postulated that a nutrition-education programme was as effective an adjunct to a diet-based weight-loss programme as an exercise regimen. Forty-five obese female volunteers were placed on the same 5,000 kJ diet and were then assigned to each of three therapy groups: (i) an exercise group, involving three 1-hour exercise sessions per week (15 women); (ii) a lecture group involving a weekly 1-hour group lecture session (15); and (iii) a control group (15) who received only the diet and no activity. Weight loss, body fat loss (%) and daily energy intake reductions were equally reduced in the subjects in all three groups who completed the programme. There was, however, a significantly higher dropout rate in the control group. Taking this into account, the weight loss in the two test groups was similar and greater than that of the control group. We conclude that, in the short term, dietary education was as effective as exercise in promoting dietary compliance and weight loss.

Assessment of the 2.4 km run as a predictor of aerobic capacity.

Since the 2.4 km run time test is routinely used in military training programmes as an indicator of aerobic capacity and its possible improvement, an attempt was made to: (i) establish a regression equation of VO2max v. 2.4 km run time in a group of 20 young military volunteers; and (ii) determine whether this equation could be used to predict VO2max reliably from the 2.4 km time obtained from another group. Before and after training, VO2max was measured in all subjects using a treadmill test, and 2.4 km run time was determined in the field. Linear regression equations using the 2.4 km run time as the independent variable accounted for 76-92% of the variance in VO2max, while the standard error of the estimate varied from 2.24-2.91 ml/kg/min. In the second test group, the directly measured VO2max was 59.89 +/- 0.99 ml/kg/min, while the mean value estimated from the regression equation of the first group was 59.61 +/- 1.16 ml/kg/min (P less than 0.001). It was concluded that, in the population studied, the 2.4 km run time in the field reliably predicts VO2max measured during treadmill exercise in the laboratory.

Human chorionic gonadotrophin and weight loss. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Low-dose human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) combined with a severe diet remains a popular treatment for obesity, despite equivocal evidence of its effectiveness. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the effects of HCG on weight loss were compared with placebo injections. Forty obese women (body mass index greater than 30 kg/m2) were placed on the same diet supplying 5,000 kJ per day and received daily intramuscular injections of saline or HCG, 6 days a week for 6 weeks. A psychological profile, hunger level, body circumferences, a fasting blood sample and food records were obtained at the start and end of the study, while body weight was measured weekly. Subjects receiving HCG injections showed no advantages over those on placebo in respect of any of the variables recorded. Furthermore, weight loss on our diet was similar to that on severely restricted intake. We conclude that there is no rationale for the use of HCG injections in the treatment of obesity.