Influence of diet and/or exercise on body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness in obese women.

The purpose of this study was to measure the influence of diet, exercise, or both on body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness in obese women. Ninety-one obese subjects were randomized into one of four groups: diet (D) (4.19-5.44 MJ or 1,200-1,300 kcal/day), exercise (E) (five 45-min sessions at 78.5+/-0.5% maximum heart rate), exercise and diet (ED), and controls (C). Maximal aerobic power and body composition were measured in all subjects before and after a 12-week diet intervention period. Subjects in D and ED lost 7.8+/-0.7 and 8.1+/-0.6 kg body mass, with no significant change for E relative to C. Losses of percent body fat and fat mass were significantly greater in D and ED but not in E relative to C. The change in VO2max was greater in ED and E but not D when compared to C. Results indicate that moderate aerobic exercise training during a 12-week period has no discernible effects on body composition but does improve cardiorespiratory fitness in dieting obese women.

Comparison of six microcomputer dietary analysis systems with the USDA Nutrient Data Base for Standard Reference.

We compared the general operating features and nutrient databases of six microcomputer dietary analysis systems. A 3-day food record with 73 food items was entered into each program; nutrient averages were compared with the US Department of Agriculture Nutrient Data Base for Standard Reference (USDA NDB), full version, release 9, for microcomputers. The six programs were found to vary widely in cost, number of foods and nutrients in the database, use of non-USDA data and imputation of data for missing values, number of print/export options, time to analyze the 3-day food record, and overall ease of use. Although all of the microcomputer dietary analysis systems were within 7% of the USDA NDB for energy, protein, total fat, and total carbohydrates, the proportion of other nutrients varying more than 15% from the USDA NDB varied considerably between programs. Variance among programs for 3-day food record nutrient values occurred because of differences in the number of food items included in the database (leading to varying degrees of substitution), the recency of the nutrient data (whether or not the most recent USDA releases had been incorporated), and the number of missing values (the degree to which non-USDA sources or estimated calculations were used to fill in the blanks from the USDA standard). Our results demonstrate that it is important for each dietitian to carefully choose a microcomputer dietary analysis system that is suitable to specific and predetermined needs.

A comparative study of two microcomputer nutrient data bases with the USDA Nutrient Data Base for Standard Reference.

The results of this investigation show that when direct comparisons are made between the USDA NDB and microcomputer data bases (avoiding the confounding factors of coding judgment and the differences between older and newer USDA nutrient data), differences still can exist. N3 and FP chose to seek out alternate data when the USDA NDB provided no data for a certain nutrient. FP chose to use a large number of additional sources to supplement USDA Handbook No. 8. Although the USDA NDB was very complete for all nutrients listed except for vitamin E/total and copper, gaps are likely to continue to exist because the USDA NDB is and will be in continual revision as an increasing number of nutrients are reported for an ever-growing food supply. Therefore, in accordance with established local needs, the dietitian has the responsibility both for knowing the sources used in the microcomputer nutrient data base and for making sure that reported results are reasonable.