Abstract
This review highlights various components of interventions that reduced obesity and type 2 diabetes risk factors among overweight Latino youth. A total of 114 overweight Latino adolescents completed one of four randomized controlled trials: 1) strength training (ST; boys only); 2) modified carbohydrate nutrition program (N); 3) combination of N+ST; or 4) N + Combination of Aerobic and ST (N+CAST; girls only). Measures included: strength by 1-repetition max, dietary intake by 3-d records, body composition by DEXA/MRI, glucose/insulin indices by oral and IV glucose tolerance tests. ST improved insulin sensitivity by 45% in Latino boys, and N, N+ST, and N+CAST improved glucose control in Latino boys and girls. The CAST approach reduced all adiposity measures by ∼3% in Latina girls. Participants who decreased added sugar, increased dietary fiber, and had increased parental attendance, regardless of intervention group, improved insulin action and reduced visceral adipose tissue. In conclusion, ST, CAST, and a modified carbohydrate nutrition program with separate parental classes were all successful components of the interventions that decreased obesity and related metabolic diseases.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the following: Thrasher Research fund (02817-1); the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins’ Foundation; National Institutes of Cancer (NCI), University of Southern California Center for Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (U54 CA 116848), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (RO1 HD/HL 33064), National Cancer Institute (Cancer Control and Epidemiology Research Training Grant, T32 CA 09492) and the M01 RR 00043 from NCRR/NIH. We would like to thank all the Childhood Obesity Research Core (CORC) research team, as well as the nursing staff at the GCRC. In addition, we are grateful to our study participants and their families for their involvement.
Declaration of interest: None of the authors had any financial or personal conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.