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To examine the effects of Diet (D) and Exercise (E) interventions on cardiovascular fitness, waist circumference, blood lipids, glucose metabolism, inflammation markers, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and blood pressure in overweight and obese lactating women.At 10-14 wk postpartum, 68 Swedish women with a self-reported pre-pregnancy BMI of 25-35 kg/m(2) were randomized to a 12-wk behavior modification treatment with D, E, both or control using a 2×2 factorial design. The goal of D treatment was to reduce body weight by 0.5 kg/wk, accomplished by decreasing energy intake by 500 kcal/d and monitoring weight loss through self-weighing. The goal of E treatment was to perform 4 45-min walks per wk at 60-70% of max heart-rate using a heart-rate monitor. Effects were measured 12 wk and 1 y after randomization. General Linear Modeling was used to study main and interaction effects adjusted for baseline values of dependent variable.There was a significant main effect of the D treatment, decreasing waist circumference (P = 0.001), total cholesterol (P = 0.007), LDL-cholesterol (P = 0.003) and fasting insulin (P = 0.042), at the end of the 12-wk treatment. The decreased waist circumference (P

BACKGROUND: Obesity and cardiovascular diseases are increasing globally and any association between reproduction and these conditions is of concern. Unfortunately, little is known about normal levels of metabolic risk factors in women of different body mass index throughout the reproductive cycle. This study is one of the first to describe the metabolic risk profile of lactating overweight or obese women at 8-12 weeks postpartum. METHODS: During 2007-2009, 66 overweight or obese Swedish lactating women without known diseases underwent detailed measurements of their metabolic profiles, dietary intake and general health before entering a lifestyle intervention trial. Baseline measurements took place between 8-12 wk postpartum. Almost all women were exclusively breastfeeding their term infants. RESULTS: The women were regarded as healthy, as reflected in the absence of diagnosed diseases, their own perceptions and in normal hemoglobin, albumin and fasting plasma glucose values. Four women were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. In these cases, underlying conditions included large waist circumference, low HDL cholesterol values, high triglyceride values and relatively high blood pressure. The metabolic profile differed between overweight and obese women; obese women had significantly higher levels of fasting insulin (p = 0.017), borderline higher HOMA values (p = 0.057) and significantly higher triglyceride values (p = 0.029), as well as larger waist and hip circumferences (p