Diet, Exercise, Metabolism, and Obesity in Older Women

Reductions in fat oxidation and resting metabolic rate (RMR) are associated with normal aging and are accelerated with menopause. As a result, postmenopausal women have an increased risk of abdominal obesity and ultimately the metabolic complications that lead to the insulin resistance syndrome and its associated risks (hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes, and coronary heart disease). Thus, there is a need to determine the most successful treatment to reduce visceral obesity in postmenopausal women. The purpose of this study is to determine if dietary-induced weight loss alone and/or weight loss combined with exercise at low and high- intensities differentially affect the reduction in visceral adipose tissue in postmenopausal women with abdominal obesity.