Exercise, Health & Performance Faculty Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Australia.
J Sports Sci Med. 2009 Mar 1;8(1):97-106. eCollection 2009.
The purpose of the study was to investigate if Chinese martial arts (Kung Fu, KF) might be effective for improving body composition, as well as being an appealing form of physical activity for inexperienced, sedentary, overweight/obese adolescents. Twenty subjects (age: 13.3 ± 1.8 y; BMI percentile: 98.6(86.5 - 99.8); 60% girls) were randomly-assigned to the supervised KF or placebo (Tai Chi, TC) control group 3 d.wk(-1) for 6 months. We assessed body composition, including total and regional fat and lean mass, total and regional bone mineral density (BMD), percent lean and fat mass, body mass index and waist circumference, at baseline and after 6 months of training using anthropometry and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Habitual physical activity and dietary intake were recorded as covariates via self-report at each time-point. As expected due to natural growth, significant increases in height, weight, total and lumbar BMD, and lean mass were seen in the cohort over time, with a trend for increased whole body fat mass, with no difference between groups. By contrast, percent fat and android fat mass via DXA did not increase in either group over time. The absence of a similar expected increase in central adiposity over 6 months could indicate a positive effect of participation in both programs on the metabolically critical abdominal adiposity in this cohort. Further research in this area is warranted to determine ways to increase uptake and compliance, and to see if longer-term martial arts training not only maintains, but improves abdominal fat mass and related metabolic health indices in overweight/ obese adolescents. Key pointsParticipation in our martial arts trial attenuated the increases in body fat mass expected due to growth in our overweight/obese adolescent group.All subjects allocated to the Kung Fu intervention were satisfied with their Kung Fu training, in contrast to our placebo-exercise (Tai Chi) subjects, suggesting that this form of exercise is worth investigating further for adherence and efficacy.This was the first randomized, placebo-exercise controlled trial to be conducted, examining the effects of martial arts training alone on body composition in sedentary overweight/obese adolescents. Larger, longer-term trials are required to confirm our findings.
本研究旨在探讨中国武术（功夫，KF）是否可能有效改善身体成分，同时也是一种对缺乏经验、久坐不动、超重/肥胖青少年有吸引力的体育活动形式。20 名受试者（年龄：13.3±1.8 岁；BMI 百分位：98.6（86.5-99.8）；60%为女孩）被随机分配到监督 KF 或安慰剂（太极，TC）对照组，每周 3 天，持续 6 个月。我们使用人体测量学和双能 X 射线吸收法（DXA）在基线和 6 个月训练后评估身体成分，包括总体和区域脂肪和瘦体重、总体和区域骨矿物质密度（BMD）、瘦体重和脂肪百分比、体重指数和腰围。通过自我报告，在每个时间点记录习惯性体力活动和饮食摄入作为协变量。由于自然生长，身高、体重、总体和腰椎 BMD 以及瘦体重随着时间的推移在队列中显著增加，全身脂肪质量有增加的趋势，但两组之间没有差异。相比之下，通过 DXA 测量的脂肪百分比和腹型脂肪质量在两组中都没有随着时间的推移而增加。6 个月内中心性肥胖没有出现类似的预期增加，这可能表明参与这两个项目对该队列代谢关键的腹部脂肪堆积有积极影响。需要进一步研究这一领域，以确定增加参与度和依从性的方法，并观察长期的武术训练是否不仅能维持，而且能改善超重/肥胖青少年的腹部脂肪质量和相关代谢健康指标。关键点参与我们的武术试验减轻了超重/肥胖青少年组因生长而预期增加的体脂肪量。所有被分配到功夫干预组的受试者都对他们的功夫训练感到满意，与我们的安慰剂运动（太极）受试者形成对比，这表明这种运动形式值得进一步研究以提高依从性和效果。这是首次进行的随机、安慰剂对照试验，单独研究武术训练对久坐不动的超重/肥胖青少年身体成分的影响。需要更大、更长时间的试验来证实我们的发现。
