ARS | Publication request: The Training Interventions and Genetics of Exercise Response (TIGER) study: exercise intervention in young adults

Submitted to: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: March 19, 2007
Publication Date: May 7, 2007
Citation: Bray, M.S., McFarlin, B.K., Turpin, I., Sailors, M.H., Ellis, K.J., Hoelscher, D.M., Foreyt, J.P., Jackson, A.S. 2007. The Training Intervention and Genetics of Exercise Response (TIGER) study: Exercise intervention in young adults [abstract]. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 39(5 Suppl):S198.

Technical Abstract: Among the greatest public health concerns today is the rapid rise in obesity in the pediatric population, which now exceeds 18% in children (6-11 y) and 17% in adolescents (12-19 y), while obesity among young adults (20-39 y) approaches 30%. Given the present trend in increasing prevalence of obesity among young people, it is estimated that the current generation may be the first in history where parents outlive their children. But what if we could deter the expected transition from overweight adolescent to obese adult? What if we could intervene on a young person at a critical time when he/she is beginning to feel empowered by independence? This is the essence of the TIGER Study. The purpose of the TIGER study is to introduce sedentary college-age individuals to regular exercise and to identify genetic factors that influence response to exercise training. Subjects in the study undergo 30 weeks (2 semesters) of exercise training, 3 days per week for 40 minutes at 65-85% of age-predicted maximum heart rate. Measures of body size/composition, heart rate, blood pressure, plasma lipids and glucose, psychosocial factors, and gene variation are performed on all participants at 0, 15, and 30 weeks. A total of 267 males and 517 females participated in the study through 2006. The prevalence of overweight and obesity, respectively, was 48.2% and 22.1% in non-Hispanic whites, 55.1% and 25.8% in Hispanics, 59.2% and 30.6% in non-Hispanic blacks, and 35.8% and 11.3% in Asians. Though the study is not designed for weight loss, more than 41% of subjects lost 2 or more kg, 48% of subjects maintained their weight within 2 kg, and only 18% of subjects gained more than 2 kg. Subjects lost an average of 0.33 kg, decreased resting heart rate by an average of 4.3 bpm, decreased percent fat by an average of 1.24%, and increased estimated VO2max by 3.35 ml.kg-1.min-1 with this minimal intervention. Retention rates within a semester were excellent, ranging from 65 to 82%, but 30-week attrition ranged from 22 to 50% per cohort. While it has recently been documented that individuals entering college gain weight in their initial year and continue to gain weight in subsequent years, we have demonstrated that a minimal exercise intervention during this time can prevent or reverse overweight/obesity in these individuals.