Effects of mild calorie restriction and high-intensity interval walking in middle-aged and older overweight Japanese

• Published in: Experimental gerontology 2009-10, Vol.44 (10), p.666-675
• Main Authors: Sawashita, Jinko, Onitsuka, Sayaka, Gen-no, Hirokazu, Ishikawa, Shinobu, Iino, Fumie, Tateishi, Norihiko, Murakami, Takeo, Seki, Yoichi, Nagaiwa, Toshiyuki, Hanaoka, Masaaki, Hama, Sumio, Nose, Hiroshi, Higuchi, Keiichi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; Blood Pressure - physiology; BMI; Body Mass Index; Caloric Restriction; Energy Intake - physiology; Energy Metabolism - physiology; Female; High-intensity interval walking; Humans; Hypertension; Male; Medical expenditures; Middle Aged; Mild calorie restriction; Overweight - complications; Overweight - physiopathology; Physical Fitness - physiology; Walking - physiology
• ISSN: 0531-5565; 1873-6815
• DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2009.07.007

We investigated whether a combination of mild calorie restriction (MCR) and high-intensity interval walking (HIW) improved physical fitness more than HIW alone in middle-aged and older overweight Japanese (40–69 years old, BMI ⩾ 23.6 kg/m 2). Forty-seven women and 16 men were divided into MCR + HIW and HIW groups. All subjects performed HIW: ⩾5 sets of 3-min low-intensity walking (40% peak aerobic capacity for walking, VO 2peak) and 3-min high-intensity walking (⩾70% VO 2peak) per day, ⩾4 days per week, for 16 weeks while energy expenditure was monitored with a tri-axial accelerometer. The MCR + HIW group consumed meal replacement formula (240 kcal): a mixture of low-carbohydrates and -fat and high-protein, for either lunch or dinner everyday and therefore, had ∼87% of the energy intake of the HIW group during the intervention period. Although the HIW group showed improvements in BMI, blood pressure, and several blood chemicals, the MCR + HIW group had greater improvement. Moreover, the medical expenditure for the 6 months including the intervention period was 59% lower in the MCR + HIW group than in the HIW group. Our strategy of a short-term combination of MCR and HIW may thus prevent lifestyle-associated diseases and improve health in middle-aged and older overweight Japanese.