Associations between cardiorespiratory fitness and health-related quality of life.

Background: There is limited data examining the association between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and health related quality of life (HRQOL) in healthy young adults. We examined the association between CRF and the HRQOL Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores in apparently healthy males in the United States Navy.

Methods: A total of 709 males (18-49 yr) performed a submaximal exercise test and HRQOL assessment (SF-12v2) between 2004-2006.

Changes in weight, waist circumference and compensatory responses with different doses of exercise among sedentary, overweight postmenopausal women.

Background: It has been suggested that exercise training results in compensatory mechanisms that attenuate weight loss. However, this has only been examined with large doses of exercise. The goal of this analysis was to examine actual weight loss compared to predicted weight loss (compensation) across different doses of exercise in a controlled trial of sedentary, overweight or obese postmenopausal women (n = 411).

Military services fitness database: development of a computerized physical fitness and weight management database for the U.S. Army.

The Department of Defense (DoD) has mandated development of a system to collect and manage data on the weight, percent body fat (%BF), and fitness of all military personnel. This project aimed to (1) develop a computerized weight and fitness database to track individuals and Army units over time allowing cross-sectional and longitudinal evaluations and (2) test the computerized system for feasibility and integrity of data collection over several years of usage. The computer application, the Military Services Fitness Database (MSFD), was designed for (1) storage and tracking of data related to height, weight, %BF for the Army Weight Control Program (AWCP) and Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) scores and (2) generation of reports using these data.

Exercise dose and quality of life: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Improved quality of life (QOL) is a purported benefit of exercise, but few randomized controlled trials and no dose-response trials have been conducted to examine this assertion.

Methods: The effect of 50%, 100%, and 150% of the physical activity recommendation on QOL was examined in a 6-month randomized controlled trial. Participants were 430 sedentary postmenopausal women (body mass index range, 25.

Metabolic and behavioral compensations in response to caloric restriction: implications for the maintenance of weight loss.

Background: Metabolic and behavioral adaptations to caloric restriction (CR) in free-living conditions have not yet been objectively measured.

Methodology And Principal Findings: Forty-eight (36.8+/-1.

Increased obesity in children living in rural communities of Louisiana.

Objective: Rates of obesity among children have been rising in recent years. Information on the prevalence of obesity in children living in rural communities is needed. We report the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children enrolled in grades 4 to 6 who live in rural areas of Louisiana, USA.

Association between energy intake and viewing television, distractibility, and memory for advertisements.

Background: The effect of television viewing (TVV) with and without advertisements (ads) on energy intake is unclear.

Objective: The objectives were to test 1) the effect of TVV, with and without ads, on energy intake compared with a control and reading condition and 2) the association of distractibility and memory for ads with energy intake and body weight.

Design: Forty-eight (26 female) adults (age: 19-54 y) with a body mass index (in kg/m(2)) of 20-35 completed this laboratory-based study.

Effects of chromium picolinate on food intake and satiety.

Background: Chromium picolinate (CrPic) has been shown to attenuate weight gain, but the mechanism underlying this effect is unknown.

Methods: We assessed the effect of CrPic in modulating food intake in healthy, overweight, adult women who reported craving carbohydrates (Study 1) and performed confirmatory studies in Sprague-Dawley rats (Study 2). Study 1 utilized a double-blind placebo-controlled design and randomly assigned 42 overweight adult women with carbohydrate cravings to receive 1,000 mg of CrPic or placebo for 8 weeks.

A novel method to remotely measure food intake of free-living individuals in real time: the remote food photography method.

The aim of the present study was to report the first reliability and validity tests of the remote food photography method (RFPM), which consists of camera-enabled cell phones with data transfer capability. Participants take and transmit photographs of food selection and plate waste to researchers/clinicians for analysis. Following two pilot studies, adult participants (n 52; BMI 20-35 kg/m2 inclusive) were randomly assigned to the dine-in or take-out group.

Caloric restriction alone and with exercise improves CVD risk in healthy non-obese individuals.

Unlabelled: Calorie restriction (CR) delays the development of age-associated disease and increases lifespan in rodents, but the effects in humans remain uncertain.

Purpose: Determine the effect of 6 months of CR with or without exercise on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and estimated 10-year CVD risk in healthy non-obese men and women.

Methods: Thirty-six individuals were randomized to one of three groups for 6 months: Control, 100% of energy requirements; CR, 25% calorie restriction; CR+EX, 12.

Effect of caloric restriction in non-obese humans on physiological, psychological and behavioral outcomes.

The focus of this review is on current research involving long-term calorie restriction (CR) and the resulting changes observed in physiological and behavioral outcomes in humans. Special emphasis will be given to the first completed clinical studies which are currently investigating the effects of controlled, high-quality energy-restricted diets on both biomarkers of longevity and on the development of chronic diseases related to age in humans. Prolonged CR has been shown to extend both the median and maximal lifespans in a variety of lower species such as yeast, worms, fish, rats, and mice.

Louisiana (LA) Health: design and methods for a childhood obesity prevention program in rural schools.

There is a worldwide epidemic of obesity with far-reaching consequences for the health of our nation. Prevention of obesity, especially in children, has been deemed by public health policy makers to be one of the most important objectives for our country. This prevention project, called Louisiana (LA) Health, will test whether modification of environmental and behavioral factors can prevent inappropriate weight gain in children from rural parishes of Louisiana who are enrolled in the fourth to sixth grades during Year 1.

The association between food cravings and consumption of specific foods in a laboratory taste test.

This pilot study tested the relation between food cravings and food intake in the laboratory. Participants (n=91; mean BMI=35.1 kg/m2) completed the Food Craving Inventory to measure cravings for sweets, fats, carbohydrates, and fast food fats, and a taste test consisting of four foods (jelly beans, M&M's, regular potato chips, and baked low-fat potato chips).

Is caloric restriction associated with development of eating-disorder symptoms? Results from the CALERIE trial.

Objective: This study tested a secondary hypothesis of the CALERIE trial (Heilbronn et al., 2006) that a 12-month period of intentional dietary restriction would be associated with an increase in eating disorder symptoms.

Design: To test this hypothesis, 48 overweight adults were randomly assigned to four treatment arms in a 12-month study: (1) 25% calorie restriction, (2) 12.

Effect of calorie restriction on resting metabolic rate and spontaneous physical activity.

Objective: It is unclear if resting metabolic rate (RMR) and spontaneous physical activity (SPA) decrease in weight-reduced non-obese participants. Additionally, it is unknown if changes in SPA, measured in a respiratory chamber, reflect changes in free-living physical activity level (PAL).

Research Methods And Procedures: Participants (N = 48) were randomized into 4 groups for 6 months: calorie restriction (CR, 25% restriction), CR plus structured exercise (CR+EX, 12.

Safety of the Ullorex oral intragastric balloon for the treatment of obesity.

Background: Intragastric balloons have been used for weight loss with varying success. Widespread use of intragastric balloons has been limited because balloons must be placed in, and removed from, the stomach endoscopically. Development of a balloon that does not require endoscopy suggests that obesity treatment with intragastric balloons is feasible.

Examination of cognitive function during six months of calorie restriction: results of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Calorie restriction increases longevity in many organisms, and calorie restriction or its mimetic might increase longevity in humans. It is unclear if calorie restriction/dieting contributes to cognitive impairment. During this randomized controlled trial, the effect of 6 months of calorie restriction on cognitive functioning was tested.

Slower eating rate reduces the food intake of men, but not women: implications for behavioral weight control.

This study tested a central tenet of behavioral weight control: does slower eating rate reduce food intake and positively affect appetite ratings. This study used direct behavioral observation of participants' (n=48; 25BMI35) eating behavior using Universal Eating Monitors. Food intake and ratings of "desire to eat" (collected each minute during meals) were represented as a function of time.

The safety and efficacy of a dietary herbal supplement and gallic acid for weight loss.

The objective of this study was to test the safety and efficacy of NT, a dietary herbal supplement made from rhubarb, ginger, astragulus, red sage, and turmeric, combined with gallic acid (GA) to reduce food intake and cause weight loss. A total of 105 healthy subjects, 18-60 years old with a body mass index of 25-35 kg/m(2) and on no chronic medication, were randomized to a 300 mg/1.2 g NT-GA combination, a 600 mg/2.

Empirical evaluation of the ability to learn a calorie counting system and estimate portion size and food intake.

The aim of this study was to determine if: (1) participants could learn the HMR Calorie System by testing if their use of the system was more accurate after training; and (2) estimated portion size and food intake improved with training. A secondary aim was to use PACE (photographic assessment of calorie estimation) to assess if participants learned the HMR system. The PACE consists of pictures of foods, the energy content of which is known.

Measurement of children's food intake with digital photography and the effects of second servings upon food intake.

This study tested the reliability and validity of measuring children's food intake with the digital photography method and the effects of second servings upon food intake. Food intake was measured in a school cafeteria for 5 days. Adiposity was assessed with body impedance analysis and body mass index, expressed as percentile rank.

Effect of calorie restriction with or without exercise on body composition and fat distribution.

Context: There is debate over the independent and combined effects of dieting and increased physical activity on improving metabolic risk factors (body composition and fat distribution).

Objective: The objective of the study was to conduct a randomized, controlled trial (CALERIE) to test the effect of a 25% energy deficit by diet alone or diet plus exercise for 6 months on body composition and fat distribution.

Design: This was a randomized, controlled trial.

Measurement of dietary restraint: validity tests of four questionnaires.

This study tested the validity of four measures of dietary restraint: Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire, Eating Inventory (EI), Revised Restraint Scale (RS), and the Current Dieting Questionnaire. Dietary restraint has been implicated as a determinant of overeating and binge eating. Conflicting findings have been attributed to different methods for measuring dietary restraint.

Effect of 6-month calorie restriction on biomarkers of longevity, metabolic adaptation, and oxidative stress in overweight individuals: a randomized controlled trial.

Context: Prolonged calorie restriction increases life span in rodents. Whether prolonged calorie restriction affects biomarkers of longevity or markers of oxidative stress, or reduces metabolic rate beyond that expected from reduced metabolic mass, has not been investigated in humans.

Objective: To examine the effects of 6 months of calorie restriction, with or without exercise, in overweight, nonobese (body mass index, 25 to <30) men and women.

Changes in food cravings during low-calorie and very-low-calorie diets.

Objective: This study examined food cravings during a primarily food-based low-calorie diet (LCD) and a supplement-based very-LCD (VLCD).

Research Methods And Procedures: The Food Craving Inventory (FCI) was used to measure general cravings and cravings for specific types of foods (sweets, high fats, carbohydrates/starches, and fast food fats). The FCI was completed by participants in the LCD and VLCD programs at baseline and after 11 weeks of dieting.