Body Composition in Relation to Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Performance inObeseWomen

Overview

Background.
Both the high body fatness and low aerobic fitness have been shown to be risk factors for cardiovasculardisease and type 2 diabetes. It is still unclear, whether these factors are related to each other or if they are independentrisk factors. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of body composition on aspects of aerobic fitnessin obese women.Methods and Results. Relative body fat was measured in a group of 31 obese women differing in age (25-54 years)by dual energy X-ray absorbtiometry (DEXA), in range of 40,8-58,8% of the body fat. Intracellular and extracellularfractions of the fat free mass were assessed by bioimpedance analysis. Maximal power output and maximal oxygenconsumptionweremeasured by stepwise load test on bicycle ergometer.Mean values of absolute and relativeVO2maxexpressed per kg bodymass and per kg fat-freemasswere 2,09±0,38 l.min-1, 22,82±3,79ml.min-1 kg-1, and 44,05±7,03ml.min-1.kg-1, respectively. Absolute VO2max was positively related to body weight (R=0,4758; P

Key words:
body composition, aerobic fitness, oxygen consumption, obesity.