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CUSSLER, E. C., T. G. LOHMAN, S. B. GOING, L. B. HOUTKOOPER, L. L. METCALFE, H. G. FLINT-WAGNER, R. B. HARRIS, and P. J. TEIXEIRA. Weight Lifted in Strength Training Predicts Bone Change in Postmenopausal Women. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 10–17, 2003.

Objective:To examine the relationship between percentage of total body fat (%Fat) and body mass index (BMI) in early postmenopausal women and to evaluate the validity of the BMI standards for obesity established by the NIH. Research Methods and Procedures:Three hundred seventeen healthy, sedentary, postmenopausal women (ages, 40 to 66 years; BMI, 18 to 35 kg/m2; 3 to 10 years postmenopausal) participated in the study. Height, weight, BMI, and %Fat, as assessed by DXA, were measured. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to evaluate the ability of BMI to discriminate obesity from non‐obesity using 38%Fat as the criterion value. Results:A moderately high relationship was observed between BMI and %Fat (r= 0.81; y= 1.41x+ 2.65) with a SE of estimate of 3.9%. Eighty‐one percent of other studies examined fell within 1 SE of estimate as derived from our study. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that BMI is a good diagnostic test for obesity. The cutoff for BMI corresponding to the criterion value of 38%Fat that maximized the sum of the sensitivity and specificity was 24.9 kg/m2. The true‐positive (sensitivity) and false‐positive (1 − specificity) rates were 84.4% and 14.6%, respectively. The area under the curve estimate for BMI was 0.914. Discussion:There is a strong association between %Fat and BMI in postmenopausal women. Current NIH BMI‐based classifications for obesity may be misleading based on currently proposed %Fat standards. BMI >25 kg/m2rather than BMI >30 kg/m2may be superior for diagnosing obesity in postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: Aerobic exercise training is associated with reduced serum concentrations of triglycerides, increased concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and minimal changes in serum levels of total cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. There are few data on the effects of resistance exercise on blood lipid levels. METHODS: Premenopausal women were randomly assigned to a supervised resistance exercise training program (n=46) or a control group (n=42) for 5 months. Serum was analyzed for levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides. Body composition and dietary intake were also measured. RESULTS: The exercise group showed a 0.33±0.03-mmol/L (mean ± SE) decrease in total cholesterol level and a 0.36±0.001-mmol/L decrease in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level that was significantly different from the control group. No significant changes were noted in serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol or triglyceride levels in either group. Changes in body composition showed no significant correlations with changes in total cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. There were no significant differences in nutrient intake between the groups. CONCLUSION: In healthy, premenopausal women, with normal baseline lipid profiles, 5 months of resistance exercise training was associated with significant decreases in serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations.(Arch Intern Med. 1993;153:97-100)