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Background: Obesity and sedentary lifestyle are growing problem. The global community's concern is to find the best strategy to obtain a more efficient process of weight reduction, increase physical activity, and minimize weight regain level. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of a short-term intervention on weight changes. Methods: The present study is a one-year follow-up study of a 12-week intervention during which the 15 individuals in the intermittent group performed 40 minutes exercise in three bouts per day; however, the 15 participants of the continuous group did the same but 40 minutes continuously. The 15 participants in the control group had no exercise prescription. After one year, weight changes, body fat percentage, and BMI were re-evaluated in the groups. Results: After adjusting the baseline weight, patterns of change in the mean weights from the end of the third month to the twelfth month were different across groups (P=0.02). After significant weight loss in the intermittent group, the mean weight in this group increased by 2.32 kilograms during the period, although not statistically significant. No increase was observed in the control group's mean weight (P=1.00). In the continuous group, the mean weight increased statistically (P=0.048, 3.63 kilograms). Conclusion: It seems that long-term effects of moderate intensity intermittent aerobic exercise in overweight and obese women on weight control are more efficient than those of continuous exercise. However, for a change in lifestyle and prevention of weight regain, longer follow-ups are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Body mass index (BMI) is a generally accepted indicator of body weight and obesity. A BMI>30 indicates obesity, which is regarded as a risk factor for many diseases, because their pathogeneses are associated with increasing numbers of free radicals derived from oxygen. The present study was a clinical trial carried out in order to study the effects of weight loss on enzymatic antioxidants and its association with dietary intakes of copper, zinc, iron, selenium and, magnesium in obese women. Materials and Methods: Thirty obese women, 19-50 years old, of whom informed consent was obtained, were included in the study. Information was collected on their general characteristics, and anthropometric measurements were made. A diet with a 500- to 1000-calorie deficit was recommended to the subjects, on the basis of micronutrient intakes estimated through a 24-hour dietary recall questionnaire 3 days before and after the intervention. The aim was to bring about a weight loss of 10%. A 10-ml blood sample was taken from each subject, before and after intervention, for enzymatic measurement of enzymatic antioxidants in the red blood cells. Results: Weight loss caused a significant increase (p<0.01) in the mean glutathione reductase (GR) and catalase (CAT); no statistically significant change occurred in the mean values of superoxide dismutase (SOD) or glutathione peroxidase (GPX). The only association between the enzymes and trace elements (Cu, Zn, Fe, Mg, Se) was a negative linear correlation between daily zinc intake and GPX before intervention (r=0.395, p<0.05) Conclusion: A 10% reduction in body weight might be an effective step toward increasing levels of enzymatic antioxidants which would minimize injuries caused by free radicals and reduce oxidative stress in obese women. Attention should be paid to the dietary intakes of micronutrients essential for the activities of these enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]