Comparison of anthropometric and metabolic responses to a short-term carbohydrate restricted diet and exercise versus a traditional diet and exercise

Abstract

With obesity becoming a public health crisis, numerous dietary and exercise interventions have been advocated for reducing body weight, seldom combining both. The purpose of this study was to determine if a low carbohydrate diet along with moderate exercise will improve dietary, blood cholesterol concentrations and body composition in comparison to the current USDA guidelines along with moderate exercise. Nineteen adults were randomly assigned to either the Atkins diet group combined with walking (LOWCHO) (n = 10) or the current USDA guidelines group combined with walking (TRAD) (n = 9). Following LOWCHO, body mass, fat mass, percentage body fat, blood triglyceride levels, caloric consumption and carbohydrate intake decreased significantly, whereas blood high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels decreased significantly following TRAD. Prescribing a low carbohydrate diet along with moderate exercise can provide individuals with a health-related short-term strategy to curb obesity.

Key words: body composition, blood lipids, diet, physical activity, walking.