[Physical exercise as a supplement to diet. Effect on body composition, resting metabolic rate and cardiovascular risk factors in postmenopausal overweight women].

One hundred and twenty-one healthy, overweight, postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to three groups: controls (no intervention), a 4200 kJ/day diet, or 4200 kJ/day diet with combined aerobic and anaerobic exercise, for 12 weeks. One hundred and eighteen women completed the study. The loss of weight was similar in the two intervention groups, but compared with the diet-only group, the diet-plus-exercise group lost significantly more fat (7.8 vs 9.6 kg) and no lean tissue mass (1.2 vs 0.0 kg). The resting metabolic rate was increased in the diet-plus-exercise group as compared to the controls (11% vs 4%, p < 0.009). The cardiovascular risk factors (serum lipids and lipoproteins (except high density lipoprotein), systolic blood pressure, and the waist-to-hip ratio) decreased significantly in both intervention groups, as compared to the controls. There were no consistent, major differences between groups in changes in total body, spinal, or forearm bone mineral density. In conclusion, overweight postmenopausal women benefit from addition of combined aerobic and anaerobic exercise to an energy-restrictive diet.