Metabolic rate in sedentary adults, following different exercise training interventions: The FIT-AGEING randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: This study compares the influence of different exercise training programs on basal metabolic rate (BMR) and fat oxidation, in basal conditions (BFox) and during exercise (MFO), in sedentary, middle-aged adults. METHODS: The study subjects of this 12 week-long, randomised controlled trial, were 71 middle-aged adults (age 53.5 ± 4.9 years; 52% women). Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: (1) no exercise, (2) concurrent training based on international physical activity recommendations (PAR group), (3) high intensity interval training (HIIT group), and (4) high intensity interval training plus whole-body electromyostimulation (HIIT + EMS group). Subject BMR, BFox and MFO were determined by indirect calorimetry before and after the intervention. RESULTS: The HIIT + EMS subjects showed significant increases in BFox following the intervention compared with the control group (all P = 0.043); no such differences were seen in the PAR and HIIT compared with the control group (all P ≥ 0.1). A significant increase in post-intervention MFO was noted for the HIIT and HIIT + EMS group compared to the non-exercise control group (P < 0.05); no such difference was seen in the PAR group compared to the control group (all P ≥ 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Twelve weeks of high intensity interval training plus whole-body electromyostimulation may increase the BFox and MFO of middle-aged sedentary adults. These findings have important clinical implications; a well-designed high-intensity interval training program plus whole-body electromyostimulation might be followed to help combat the appearance of chronic metabolic diseases characterized by metabolic inflexibility in middle-aged sedentary adults, though it will be necessary to determine how long the effects last.

Effects of different exercise training programs on body composition: A randomized control trial.

We aimed to investigate the effects of different exercise training programs on body composition parameters in sedentary middle-aged adults. A total of 89 middle-aged adults (53.5 ± 4.9 years old; ~53% women) participated in the FIT-AGEING study. A 12-week randomized controlled trial was performed with a parallel group design. The participants were randomly assigned to (a) a concurrent training based on physical activity recommendation from the World Health Organization group (PAR group), (b) a high-intensity interval training group (HIIT group), and (c) a high-intensity interval training group adding whole-body electromyostimulation group (WB-EMS group). A significant decrease of fat body mass, fat body mass index, and visceral adipose tissue was observed in all training modalities compared to the control group (all P ≤ 0.001). There was a significant increase in lean body mass in the HIIT group as well as in the WB-EMS group compared to the control group and the PAR group (all P ≤ 0.044), whereas an increment of lean body mass index was only observed in the WB-EMS group compared to the control group and the PAR group (all P ≤ 0.042). A significant increase of bone mineral content was observed in the WB-EMS group compared to the control group (P = 0.015), while no changes were found in the PAR group and in the HIIT group compared to the control group (all P ≥ 0.2). Our findings suggest that PAR, HIIT, and WB-EMS can be used as a strategy to improve body composition parameters, obtaining slightly better results with the application of WB-EMS.

25-hydroxyvitamin D is differentially associated with calcium intakes of Northern, Central, and Southern European adolescents: Results from the HELENA study.

OBJECTIVES: Adolescents in the European Union (EU) exhibit a higher prevalence of vitamin D (VitD) deficiency than other age groups. The degree to which sunlight exposure 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations depends on a variety of factors, including diet. Nevertheless, the relationship between calcium and VitD intake and 25(OH)D concentrations has not been previously studied among adolescents living in different EU countries and consequently in different latitudes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine whether calcium and VitD intakes are differentially associated with 25(OH)D in adolescents from northern, central and southern EU countries. METHODS: The present analysis included 178 adolescents from northern EU countries, 251 from central EU countries, and 212 from southern EU countries (ages 12.5-17.5 y). Mixed model linear regression analyses stratified by geographic location were used to verify associations between calcium and VitD intake and 25(OH)D concentrations. Age, Tanner stage, seasonality, energy intake, and supplement use were entered as covariates. RESULTS: Only the calcium intake of central EU adolescents was positively associated with 25(OH)D (α = 0.005; 95% confidence interval, 0.007-0.028). CONCLUSIONS: Further longitudinal studies should confirm these observations, as this could be important for future public health interventions aiming to increase 25(OH)D concentrations in adolescents.