Pericardial fat loss in postmenopausal women under conditions of equal energy deficit
Open accessAbstract
UNLABELLED: Weight loss induced by caloric restriction (CR) or aerobic exercise can reduce pericardial fat, and these reductions may help improve cardiovascular health. PURPOSE: We examined whether combining CR with aerobic exercise enhances pericardial fat loss compared with a CR-only intervention designed to elicit equivalent reductions in body weight. We also examined the relationship between changes in pericardial fat and changes in maximal oxygen consumption (V˙O2max), a measure of cardiorespiratory fitness. METHODS: Thirty-two abdominally obese postmenopausal women (mean age=58 yr; 78% Caucasian) were randomly assigned to one of three interventions of equal energy deficit (∼2800 kcal·wk) for 20 wk: CR only (n=8), CR + moderate-intensity exercise (n=15), or CR + vigorous-intensity exercise (n=9). The volume of pericardial fat around the coronary arteries was measured by computed tomography. RESULTS: Women in the CR, CR + moderate-intensity, and CR + vigorous-intensity groups had similar baseline characteristics. The mean ± SD value for pericardial fat before weight loss was 79.07 ± 32.90 cm (range=34.04-152.74 cm), with no difference among groups (P=0.89). All three interventions significantly reduced body weight (15%), waist circumference (10%), and abdominal visceral fat (28%) to a similar degree. There was also a 17% reduction in pericardial fat (-12.75 ± 6.29 cm, P<0.0001), which did not differ among groups (P=0.84). Changes in pericardial fat were inversely correlated with changes in V˙O2max (r=-0.37, P=0.05), but not after adjusting for intervention group and change in body weight. CONCLUSIONS: Weight loss interventions of equal energy deficit have similar effects on pericardial fat in postmenopausal women, regardless of whether the energy deficit is due to CR alone or CR plus aerobic exercise.
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Number of seconds to complete five chair-rises is strongly associated with changes in intramuscular adipose tissue.
“The number of seconds required to complete five chair-rises is also strongly associated with changes in intramuscular adipose tissue.”
From Myosteatosis in the Context of Skeletal Muscle Function Deficit: An Interdisciplinary Workshop at the National Institute on Aging (2020) · cites this paper as Brinkley et al., 2011
Change in VO2max is strongly associated with decreases in pericardial fat depot.
“Change in VO2max is strongly associated with decreases in the pericardial fat depot, again suggesting a specificity in where fat is lost and the related functional benefits.”
From Myosteatosis in the Context of Skeletal Muscle Function Deficit: An Interdisciplinary Workshop at the National Institute on Aging (2020) · cites this paper as Brinkley et al., 2011
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- Authors
- BRINKLEY, T. E., DING, J., CARR, J. J., & NICKLAS, B. J.
- Affiliations
- Wake Forest University Health Sciences (US)
- Venue
- Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
- Published
- 2011-05
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 808-814
- ISSN
- 0195-9131 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3640630
- OpenAlex
- W1991600305
- Cited by
- 29
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2025: 3 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 1.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Locations
- Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (R01-AG/DK20583, R01AG020583, P30AG021332)
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01HL093713)
- National Center for Research Resources (M01RR007122)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiovascular Disease and Adiposity
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
- Keywords
- pericardial fat, caloric restriction, aerobic exercise, weight loss, postmenopausal women, negative energy balance, VO2max, cardiorespiratory fitness, abdominal obesity, visceral fat, coronary arteries
- MeSH terms
- Adipose Tissue, Aged, Body Composition, Female, Humans, Middle Aged, North Carolina, Obesity, Oxygen Consumption, Pericardium, Weight Loss, Exercise, Postmenopause, Caloric Restriction
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