Christine Lord

Effect of sarcopenia on cardiovascular disease risk factors in obese postmenopausal women.

Objective: To compare sarcopenic‐obese and obese postmenopausal women for risk factors predisposing to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and determine whether there may be a relationship between muscle mass and metabolic risk in obese postmenopausal women.

Effect of 6 months of exercise and isoflavone supplementation on clinical cardiovascular risk factors in obese postmenopausal women: a randomized, double-blind study.

Objective:To investigate whether 6 months of exercise combined with isoflavone supplementation could improve clinical risk factors that predispose to cardiovascular disease in obese postmenopausal women. Design:This was a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial in which 50 healthy obese postmenopausal women were divided into two groups and assigned to isoflavone supplementation (n = 25) or a placebo (n = 25) for 1 year. For the last 6 months, both groups participated in an exercise program (three times per week), at the end of which cardiovascular disease risk factors were compared between groups. Body composition (using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry), metabolic profile (blood lipids, fasting insulin, fasting glucose, sex hormone-binding globulin, C-reactive protein) were determined at baseline and at 6 and 12 months. Results:We observed a significant effect of exercise and isoflavone supplementation on body weight, total and abdominal fat mass (kilograms and percentage), body mass index, appendicular fat-free mass, fat-free mass/fat mass ratio, and sex hormone-binding globulin, but not with exercise alone. No difference was observed for other biochemical characteristics, although the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index increased equally in both groups. Conversely, although not significant, we observed a tendency for a treatment effect on body mass index (P = 0.07) and on absolute (kilograms) (P = 0.07) and percentage of (P = 0.053) abdominal fat mass, whereas no effect of treatment was found for other variables using the Mann-Whitney test. Conclusions:Compared to an aerobic exercise program alone, 70 mg/day of isoflavones combined with exercise may promote significant improvements in body composition parameters that are known to influence cardiovascular disease risk in postmenopausal women.

Six months of isoflavone supplement increases fat-free mass in obese-sarcopenic postmenopausal women: a randomized double-blind controlled trial.

Objective:The aim of this study was to verify if six months of isoflavone supplementation could increase fat-free mass (FFM) and muscle mass index (MMI=appendicular FFM/height2) in obese–sarcopenic postmenopausal women.Design:Double-blind randomized study.Subject:Eighteen sarcopenic–obese women completed the study (12 on isoflavones and six on placebo). Body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Subjects ingested 70 mg of isoflavones per day (44 mg of diadzein, 16 mg glycitein and 10 mg genestein) or a placebo for 24 weeks.Results:The isoflavone group increased significantly appendicular (P=0.034), leg (P=0.016) FFM and MMI (P=0.037), but not the placebo group.Conclusion:Six months of isoflavone supplementation increased FFM and MMI in obese–sarcopenic postmenopausal women.

Relationship between sarcopenia and fracture risks in obese postmenopausal women.

ABSTRACT It is known that obesity is inversely correlated with fracture risk. It remains unclear if a low muscle mass (sarcopenia) modulates the relationship between obesity and bone mass density. Twenty-seven obese women were matched for total fat mass (± 0.5 kg) and age (± 4 yrs) and divided in 3 equal groups: class II sarcopenic, class I sarcopenic, and nonsarcopenic. Body composition (DXA) and dietary intake were measured. Our results suggest that obesity may offer some protection against osteoporosis, even in sarcopenic postmenopausal women. However, further studies are needed to examine the actual implication of these results on a clinical standpoint.

Isoflavones and Clinical Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Obese Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial

AIMS To investigate whether 6 months of isoflavone supplementation, which has been shown to be sufficient to improve menopausal symptoms, could also improve clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in obese postmenopausal women, compared with a placebo. METHODS A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial in which 50 obese postmenopausal women were divided into two groups (isoflavones vs. placebo) to examine the effect of 6 months of isoflavone supplement (70 mg) on clinical CVD risk factors. Body composition (DXA), medical and social characteristics, daily energy expenditure (accelerometry), dietary intake (3-day dietary record), and blood biochemical analyses (lipid profile, insulin, glucose) were obtained. RESULTS At baseline, no differences were found between groups except for fasting insulin level. Women were thus considered at risk of CVD based on body composition but not biochemical variables. After 6 months, we observed that isoflavones did not favorably affect risk factors predisposing to CVD (biochemical or body composition) compared with placebo. CONCLUSIONS Isoflavones given for 6 months should not be considered protective against clinical CVD risk factors in obese postmenopausal women. Nevertheless, further research is needed to verify if isoflavones protect against CVD disease risk factors when administered for a longer duration or when combined with nutritional or exercise interventions. It would also be pertinent to study their effects in women with specific metabolic abnormalities.

Is overweight/obesity associated with short sleep duration in older women?

Background and aim: No study to date has documented the association between short sleep duration and the risk for obesity in older people. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine cross-sectional associations between short sleep duration and variations in body fat indices in older women. Methods: Anthropometric and body composition measurements, resting energy expenditure, daily energy expenditure, daily energy intake, plasma lipid-lipoprotein profile, and self-reported sleep duration were determined in a sample of 90 women of 50 years and above. Results: The odds ratios for overweight/obesity were comparable in subjects reporting <7 hours and ≥7 hours of sleep per day, with or without adjustment for age, daily energy expenditure and daily energy intake. The results did not permit to observe any significant difference between the two sleeper groups for all the variables investigated. The correlations between sleep duration and adiposity indices were also non significant. Conclusions: Short sleep duration does not predict an increased risk of being overweight/obese in older women. This observation, together with our previously reported results in younger subjects, suggests that the sleep-body fat relationship progressively becomes less detectable with increasing in age.

Fat mass threshold associated with a significant deterioration of insulin sensitivity in postmenopausal women.

The aim of this study was to establish a cut-off value of percentage of fat mass (%FM) at which insulin sensitivity (IS) is significantly altered in sedentary postmenopausal women. Our results suggest that maintaining a %FM below 41% would minimize the deterioration of IS and its associated risks.