Effects of dieting and exercise on lean body mass, oxygen uptake, and strength.

The effects of exercise on lean body mass (LBM), fat mass (FM), maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), and quadriceps (QD) strength were studied in 72 male, mildly obese (X = 38% fat) subjects (X age, 43.5 yr) randomly assigned to one of eight treatments arranged in a 2 X 4 factorial plan with exercise (EX) and non-exercise (NE) and four diets as the two factors. Exercise consisted of a 3 d/wk, 8-wk aerobics program (70-85% maximum heart rate) accompanied by a calisthenics program. LBM was determined by whole body potassium (40K), FM by subtracting LBM from total body weight, VO2max using the Wilmore-Costill method, and QD strength with the Cybex II system. Weight loss of the combined EX (11.8 +/- 0.6 kg) (X +/- SE) and NE (9.2 +/- 0.3 kg) groups was not statistically different. LBM of the EX group was unchanged (from 63.1 +/- 1.9 to 62.5 +/- 2.1 kg), whereas in the NE group it was reduced from 62.6 +/- 1.1 to 59.3 +/- 1.2 kg (P less than 0.001) accounting for 36% of total weight loss. FM loss was greater for the EX group (11.2 +/- 1.5 kg) when compared to the NE (5.2 +/- 1.6 kg) group (P less than 0.001). The EX group exhibited an increase in VO2max from 2.9 +/- 0.3 to 3.4 +/- 0.2 1 X min-1 (P less than 0.001), whereas the NE group was unchanged (3.0 +/- 0.3 to 2.9 +/- 0.4 1 X min-1 (NS].(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)