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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #328701
Title: Lifestyle behaviors in metabolically healthy and unhealthy overweight and obese women

Author
item CAMHI, SARAH - University Of Massachusetts
item CROUTER, SCOTT - University Of Tennessee
item HAYMAN, LAURA - University Of Massachusetts
item MUST, AVIVA - Tufts University
item LICHTENSTEIN, ALICE - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University

Submitted to: PLOS ONE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/1/2015
Publication Date: 7/10/2015
Citation: Camhi, S.M., Crouter, S.E., Hayman, L.L., Must, A., Lichtenstein, A.H. 2015. Lifestyle behaviors in metabolically healthy and unhealthy overweight and obese women. PLoS One. 10(9):e0138548. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138548.

Interpretive Summary: The purpose of this study was to determine whether physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior and/or diet quality differ between metabolically healthy overweight/obese (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy overweight/obese (MUO). Forty-six young African American and Caucasian women who were either overweight or obese were classified on the basis of cardiometabolic risk factors (elevated blood pressure, triglyceride, glucose and C-reactive protein, low high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and insulin resistance.) Time the participants engaged in light, moderate, vigorous PA, and sedentary behavior was estimated using an accelerometer. Questionnaires were used to quantify sitting time, TV/computer use, usual daily activity, and habitual dietary food intake. Compared to MUO, MHO spent fewer minutes per day in sedentary behavior, more minutes per day in light PA, and had higher daily metabolic equivalent energy expenditure. MHO participants had higher fiber intakes (total, soluble, fruit/vegetable, bean) and daily servings of vegetables and lower intakes of dairy products, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, and trans fats compared to MUO participants. These data suggest that compared to the MUO young women, MHO young women had healthier lifestyle habits as characterized by less time spent engaged in sedentary activity, more time engaged in light PA, and higher quality dietary patterns. Results suggest that intervention strategies that target sedentary behavior, physical activity, and diet may lower cardiometabolic risk in young adult women with obesity.

Technical Abstract: Background: Few studies have examined dietary data or objective measures of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior among metabolically healthy overweight/obese (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy overweight/obese (MUO). Thus, the purpose is to determine whether PA, sedentary behavior and/or diet differ between MHO and MUO in a sample of young women. Methods: Forty-six overweight/obese (BMI >/= 25 kg/m2) African American and Caucasian women 19-35 years were classified by cardiometabolic risk factors, including elevated blood pressure, triglyceride, glucose and C-reactive protein, low high density lipoprotein, and insulin resistance (MUO>/=2; MHO,<2). Time (mins/day) in light, moderate, vigorous PA, and sedentary behavior were estimated using an accelerometer (>/=3 days;>/=8 hrs wear time). Questionnaires were used to quantify sitting time, TV/computer use and usual daily activity. The Block Food Frequency Questionnaire assessed dietary food intake. Differences between MHO and MUO for lifestyle behaviors were tested with linear regression (continuous data) or logistic regression (categorical data) after adjusting for age, race, BMI, smoking and accelerometer wear and/or total kilocalories, as appropriate. Results: Women were 26.7 +/- 4.7 years, with a mean BMI of 31.1+/-3.7 kg/m2, and 61% were African American. Compared to MUO (n = 9), MHO (n = 37; 80%) spent less mins/day in sedentary behavior (difference: -58.1 +/-25.5, p = 0.02), more mins/day in light PA (difference: 38.2+/-16.1, p = 0.02), and had higher daily METs (difference: 0.21+/-0.09, p = 0.03). MHO had higher fiber intakes (g/day of total fiber, soluble fiber, fruit/vegetable fiber, bean fiber) and daily servings of vegetables; but lower daily dairy servings, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat and trans fats (g/day) compared to MUO. Conclusion: Compared to MUO, MHO young women demonstrate healthier lifestyle habits with less sedentary behavior, more time in light PA, and healthier dietary quality for fat type and fiber. Future studies are needed to replicate findings with larger samples that include men and women of diverse race/ethnic groups.