THE EFFECT OF 6 MONTHS TRAINING ON WEIGHT, BODY FATNESS AND SERUM-LIPIDS IN APPARENTLY HEALTHY ELDERLY DUTCH MEN AND WOMEN

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of a six-months training program on changes in body weight and lipid concentrations, and their interrel ationship in elderly people. DESIGN: Intervention study. The elderly s ubjects were randomly assigned to a control group or one of two superv ised aerobic training groups, either all round activities or ergometer cycling, both exercising 3-4 times a week for six months. SUBJECTS: 2 29 elderly men and women, aged 60-80 y. MEASUREMENTS: Various fatness parameters by anthropometry, serum lipids and peak power output. RESUL TS: During the intervention, no significant changes were observed in w eight or body fatness in subjects of the training groups. Serum high d ensity lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and total chol esterol and triglycerides tended to change in a favourable direction i n the elderly of the intervention groups, but only triglyceride concen tration in women of the cycle ergometer group (mean difference with co ntrols: - 0.24 mmol/L, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.45, -0.03) and total serum cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol concentrations in subject s of the all-round activity group, (-0.32 mmol/L, 95% CI: -0.63, -0.01 and -0.15 mmol/L, 95% CI -0.25, -0.05, respectively) were significant ly reduced as compared to controls. Regression analysis showed that th e intervention-control difference in change of all lipids was independ ent of changes in weight, body fat and previous engagement in sport ac tivity. CONCLUSION: Regular physical exercise in an elderly population resulted in favourable changes in serum lipid concentrations that wer e not significant, but no change in body weight or fatness. Change in lipid concentration could not be attributed to change in weight or bod y fat.