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Abstract

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The prevalence of obesity is high and increasing worldwide. Obesity is generally associated with an increased risk of chronic disease and mortality. The objective of the study was to test the effect of a lifestyle intervention on body weight and other chronic disease risk markers. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A non-randomized controlled trial was conducted, including mostly middle-aged and elderly participants recruited from the general population in rural northwest Germany (intervention: <i>n</i> = 114; control: <i>n</i> = 87). The intervention consisted of a 1-year lifestyle programme, focussing on four key areas: a largely plant-based diet (strongest emphasis), physical activity, stress management, and community support. Parameters were assessed at baseline, 10 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year. The control group received no intervention. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Compared to the control, in the intervention group, significantly lower 1-year trajectories were observed for body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), total cholesterol, calculated LDL cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol, remnant cholesterol (REM-C), glucose, HbA1c, and resting heart rate (RHR). However, between-group differences at 1 year were small for glucose, HbA1c, and cholesterol (apart from REM-C). No significant between-group differences were found for 1-year trajectories of measured LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, blood pressure, and pulse pressure. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The intervention successfully reduced body weight, BMI, WC, REM-C, and RHR. However, at 1 year, effectiveness of the intervention regarding other risk markers was either very modest or could not be shown.

Tags

Sample Definition And Size

A non-randomized controlled trial involving 201 participants from rural northwest Germany, aged mostly middle-aged and elderly, with 114 in the intervention group and 87 in the control group.

Study Type

Non-randomized controlled trial

Conflicts Of Interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Results Summary

The intervention group experienced significantly lower 1-year trajectories in body weight, BMI, waist circumference, total cholesterol, calculated LDL cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol, remnant cholesterol, glucose, HbA1c, and resting heart rate compared to the control group. However, between-group differences at 1 year were small for glucose, HbA1c, and cholesterol (apart from REM-C). No significant between-group differences were found for 1-year trajectories of measured LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, blood pressure, and pulse pressure.

Referenced In

William Fan
9 months ago
William Fan's 2025 91 Day Weight Loss Challenge

Week 8: Resting and resting heart rate

  • Weight (7d avg): 186.9lbs/84.8kg, from peak -12.8lbs/-5.8kg

  • RHR (7d avg): 59.4bpm

  • Calories In (7d avg): 1686kcal

  • Exercise (7d avg): 500kcal

  • Net Deficit (total): -2300kcal

  • 2x5x500m row: 1:51.0, 1:49.6

Notes:

I saw a continued steady decline in my weight 2 weeks after my sleep apnea surgery. Recovery was slow but continual. Though I had hoped to be mostly recovered 2 weeks in, I was just starting to be able to eat normally again throughout the week. My decreased diet meant exercising was difficult. But as soon as I was able to increase my calories I was able get back to my gym routine.

One additional goal I had for this weight loss challenge was getting my resting heart rate down closer to where I was a few years prior, in the low 50s. As I entered my mid thirties, my RHR seemed to go up 1 bpm every year. It's difficult to say what caused this but I was very interested in seeing what I could do to get it back down.

Anecdotally, the more weight I lost and more exercise I got, the better my RHR. However, getting sick or recovering from surgery caused my RHR to rise within a few days. There's 3 categories I'm interested in when considering RHR impacts: weight loss, exercise, and illness.

Weight Loss

A meta-analysis from 2019 found an associated -9bpm with large median weight loss of 43kg. This ranged from 20% to 30% weight loss. In a 1 year controlled trial , RHR decreased by 4bpm with a 5-10% decrease in weight. There are several other confounding factors including diet and exercise that could also impact RHR, but generally weight loss seems to have a consistent effect.

Exercise

Easily the most well studied factor for improving RHR, a large systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2018 showed -5.2bpm from all types of sports, -6.0bpm from endurance training, and -2.5bpm from strength training. Notably, studies showed -7.2bpm from yoga specifically. These adaptations took several weeks to see drops, but I see impacts from my Fitbit within a few days of high aerobic activity.

Illness

I always see a spike in my RHR when I get sick and it can be quite discouraging. I try to keep my spirits up by reminding myself its temporary. A national US study looking at the relationship between body temperature and heart rate found a HR increase of 7bpm for every increase in T of 1.0°C or 1 .8°F. Diseases like COVID-19 saw increases of 1.8% for females and 3.4% for males on initial onset.

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