This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.Based on data from the CDC's 2003 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey, 59.7% and 20.3% of adults 65 years of age and older were either overweight (BMI = 27) or obese (BMI > 30), respectively. In older adults obesity is associated with a number of adverse health consequences including type II diabetes, osteoarthritis of the knee, atherosclerosis and increased rates of functional decline. Weight loss interventions in older adults have been shown to improve cardiovascular risk factors, pulmonary function, inflammatory and glycemic status. Despite these benefits there has been reluctance to recommend hypocaloric diets to older adults. The reluctance stems, in part, from the view that weight loss alone might exacerbate age-related losses in skeletal muscle. The hypothetically ideal weight loss program for older adults would target the loss of total body fat, and visceral and inter-muscular fat in particular, while sparing skeletal muscle mass. The purpose of this pilot study is to generate data comparing strategies intended to improve the health of overweight older adults by improving body composition. One strategy, resistance training, is designed to preserve skeletal muscle mass. The other strategy, the use of a PPAR-gamma agonist, is designed to enhance the loss of fat from visceral and skeletal depots. These strategies will be used in conjunction with a hypocaloric diet and will be compared to a hypocaloric diet alone to determine if these strategies either alone, or in combination, are superior in reducing visceral fat and preserving muscle mass.
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