The Effect of Combined Aerobic Exercise and Calorie Restriction on Mood, Cognition, and Motor Behavior in Overweight and Obese Women

Lithuanian Sports University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Obesity; Metabolic Syndrome

Treatments: Procedure: aerobic exercise plus calorie restriction

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04016909

LithuanianSportsU-1

Details and patient eligibility

About

The benefits of weight-loss programs on mood state and cognitive and motor behavior remain unclear and are largely limited to those of calorie restriction (CR) or physical exercise alone. Our aim was to investigate the effect of a combined CR and aerobic exercise program on mood state, cognition-related brain activity, and cognitive and motor behavior in overweight and obese women. Twenty-six overweight or obese women were randomized to either a control group (no intervention) or an experimental group (aerobic exercise + 12.5% energy-intake reduction). Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, mood, prefrontal cortex activity, cognitive performance, and learning of a speed-accuracy task were evaluated before and 6 months after the beginning of the program. Confusion and depression increased in the control group (P < 0.05), whereas tension decreased in the experimental group (P < 0.05). BDNF level and learning of a speed-accuracy task remained unchanged. Although PFC activity and executive functions were not affected, the reaction time of visual scanning and associative learning were improved in the experimental group (P < 0.05). An improvement in reaction time during the speed-accuracy task was observed (P < 0.05). In conclusion, a 6-month combined CR and aerobic exercise intervention improved the psychosocial mental state of overweight and obese women. Although it improved motor planning during the speed-accuracy task, it had little impact on cognition and no effect on brain activity and learning of the speed-accuracy task.

Enrollment: 26 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 35 to 55 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• gender: female;
• body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 kg/m2;
• exhibiting weight stability (body weight change <2 kg) for at least 2 months prior to enrollment;
• sedentary lifestyle (regular exercise 1 h/week).

Exclusion criteria

• undergoing lactation;
• pregnant or postmenopausal;
• type 2 diabetes;
• cardiovascular disease.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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26 participants in 2 patient groups

aerobic exercise plus calorie restriction

Experimental group

Description:

The experimental intervention: both exercise and calorie restriction, as described below: Exercise intervention. 6 months, 72 supervised aerobic exercise training sessions on cycle ergometers, including 3 sessions of training per week. A warm-up procedure consisting of 5 min of low-intensity stretching was completed by all women before the aerobic training. Subsequently, a 50 min aerobic training at an intensity between 60% and 70% of the maximum heart rate (HR) was performed. Thereafter, a cool-down consisting of 5 min of low-intensity stretching and breathing exercises was completed. HR was recorded continuously throughout the training sessions using an HR monitor (S625X, Polar Electro, Kempele, Finland). Calorie restriction intervention. The CR intervention was designed to create a 12.5% energy deficit, with the goal of reducing body weight by 5%-10% over 6 months.

Treatment:

Procedure: aerobic exercise plus calorie restriction

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

No intervention and participants were instructed to maintain their regular physical activity and diet regime for 6 months; they were also prohibited from participating in any weight-loss or exercise program.