The FTO genotype as a useful predictor of body weight maintenance: Initial data from a 5-year follow-up study

ObjectiveWe examined associations between the fat-mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene (rs9939609) and any weight change over a 5-year period following a 14-week lifestyle intervention among middle-aged Japanese women.Materials/MethodsOne hundred twenty-eight Japanese women (BMI > 25 kg/m2) participated in a 14-week weight loss intervention between 2004 and 2006. Of the participants, 62 consented to the 5-year follow-up measurement session. Of these women, 47 women who achieved a weight loss of at least 10% from their baseline values during the 14-week intervention were included in the analysis. Body weight, body fat, abdominal fat assessed by CT scans, and metabolic risk factors (i.e., blood pressure, lipids, and glucose) were measured at baseline, post-intervention, and at the 5-year follow-up.ResultsDuring the 5-year non-intervention period, increases in body weight, fat mass, total abdominal fat, and subcutaneous abdominal fat were significantly greater in subjects with the homozygous minor allele (AA genotype, n = 4; 8.5%) than in those with the homozygous major allele (TT genotype, n = 31; 66.0%) or heterozygous allele (TA genotype, n = 12; 25.5%). In multiple regression analyses, the variation in rs9939609 was a significant and independent predictor (P < 0.001) for regaining weight during the 5-year follow-up.ConclusionsOur data suggest that Japanese women with the risk allele (AA) of rs9939609 may have more difficulty preventing fat gain from reoccurring after weight loss intervention than women with the other genotypes

"RPE13によって速度を調節する歩行テスト"の有用性について : エクササイズトレーニングによる全身持久性体力の改善を妥当に評価できるか

Recently, for estimation of cardiorespiratory fitness, the authors have developed a useful 12-min submaximal treadmill walk test (STWT) in which the intensity is regulated by ratings of perceived exertion (RPE). The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of the STWT for estimation of training-induced changes in cardiorespiratory fitness. The subjects were 9 obese women aged 42.0±4.5 yr, who participated in our exercise program, which was based on 75 min of step exercise 3 times a week for a period of 4 months. All subjects were asked to walk for 12 min at an intensity corresponding to 13 on the Borg scale of RPE, and their VO_ and VO_ were measured on the treadmi11 by means of a graded exercise test (GXT). The STWT and the GXT were readministered 4 months after completion of the exercise program. The correlations of 12-min walk distance with VO_ or V0_ were found to be statistica11y significant (r=0.76 and 0.70, respectively) when pre-and post-training data were pooled and analyzed. The standard error of estimation (SEE) of the linear regression equation for estimating VO_ and VO_ from the 12-min walk distance were 3.01ml/kg/min and l.85ml/kg/min, respectively, both of which were relatively low. After the 4-month exercise program, the coefficient of correlation between the changes in 12-min walk distance and those in VO_ was statistica11y significant (r=0.78). From heart rate (HR) data measured during the STWT and the GXT, the %HR_ of the STWT was not significantly different from the %HR_ corresponding to RPE13 during the GXT before and after exercise training. From this limited sample size, it was concluded that the STWT at a self-selected intensity intended to correspond to RPE13 is a valid method for estimating changes in the cardiorespiratory fitness of obese women