Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a program of nutritional recommendations and exercise in women with metabolic syndrome. DESIGN: Multicentre randomised controlled trial. LOCATION: Primary Health Care, Holguin, Cuba. PARTICIPANTS: A cluster sample of 150 obese women with metabolic syndrome without glucose disturbances, were randomly assigned to a control (n=70) or experimental (n=80) group. A total of 62 women in the control group and 60 in the intervention group completed the study (June 2008-July 2009). INTERVENTIONS: Low calorie diets and a program of exercises in the experimental group. Usual care in the control group. MEASUREMENTS: Body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, blood glucose and lipid profile. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, after one year, the experimental group had a lower, diastolic blood pressure (78±0.9 vs 91±1.1mm Hg), total cholesterol (4.7±0.1 vs 6.0 ±0.1mmol/L), triglycerides (1.9±0.0 vs 2.9±0.1mmol/L) and LDL cholesterol (2.5±0.0 vs 3.5±0.1mmol/L), and a higher HDL-cholesterol (1.2±0.0 vs 1.1±0.0mmol/L). There were no appreciable changes in weight, body mass index, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure and blood glucose. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated the effectiveness of the intervention program on blood pressure and blood lipid profile.