Effect of interventions with ingestion of legumes and/or supervised exercise on the lipid profile of young, healthy sedentary women

Abstract

Objective: To contribute to the knowledge of some aspects of the Healthy Life Style by studying the effects of including legumes in the diet and exercise at two intensity levels, along with the lipid profile of young sedentary women living at 2640 meters above sea level. Materials and methods: The study included a non-randomized clinical trial with four intervention groups: exercise at 45% VO2 peak plus legumes in diet, exercise at 65% VO2 peak plus legumes in diet, only exercise at 65% VO2 peak, and only inclusion of legumes in diet. In each group, 20 to 23 sedentary women were included. The intervention was carried out for four weeks, three days a week. Exercise prescription was based on measurement of VO2 peak by ergospirometry; and the current intervention was monitored with heart-rate monitors. The outcome variables were total serum cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triacylglycerols measured at baseline and after two and four weeks of intervention. Results: The measurements taken of participants in the group of exercise at 65% VO2 peak plus legumes in diet showed a reduction of 19.8 mg/dl in total cholesterol, of 21.8 mg/dl of LDL cholesterol, of 20.7 mg/dl of tracylglycerol, and an increase of 6.2 mg/dl of HDL cholesterol. The serum levels of HDL also increased in the group of only exercise at 65% VO2 peak. No significant changes in serum levels were documented for participants in the group with only dietary modifications. Conclusions: The results suggest that different interventions that meet some of the criteria for healthy eating and life style show different effects with regards to the level of change in the lipid profile components. © 2010 Universidad del Valle, Facultad de Salud.