The Effects on Plasma Lipoproteins of a Prudent Weight-Reducing Diet, with or without Exercise, in Overweight Men and Women

SUSTAINED weight loss in moderately overweight men, whether induced by caloric restriction (with no change in dietary composition) without increased physical activity, or by increased physical activity without dietary change, results in an increase in plasma concentrations of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. 1 The inverse relation between adiposity and HDL cholesterol levels may underlie some of the increased risk of coronary heart disease observed with obesity in men 2 and women. 3 In the current climate of increased attention to dietary treatment of elevated plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, 4 it is likely that the dietary modifications recommended to overweight people will . . .