Effects of a Therapeutic Lifestyle Modification Program on Inflammatory Chemokines and Insulin Resistance in Subjects With Metabolic Syndrome

BACKGROUND: Although therapeutic lifestyle modification (TLM) effectively improves the values of diagnostic biomarkers of metabolic syndrome, less is known about its effects on inflammatory chemokines and insulin resistance (IR) in patients with this syndrome. Objectives. To examine the effects of a short-term TLM program on inflammatory chemokines (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 [MCP-1], retinol binding protein-4 [RBP-4]) and IR in subjects with metabolic syndrome. METHOD: Twenty-nine women (aged 66.5 ± 9.5 years) with metabolic syndrome were randomly assigned to the TLM intervention group (n = 16) or control group (n = 13). The TLM intervention group was provided with 4 weeks of health screening, education, exercise, diet, and counseling. Participants in the control group were instructed to maintain their usual lifestyle behavior. Outcome variables measured included MCP-1, RBP-4, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA). An intention-to-treat strategy was not followed, and the final number of subjects in the analysis was 22 (14 in the TLM group and 8 in the control group). RESULTS: After a 4-week TLM program, MCP-1, fasting insulin, and HOMA were significantly decreased in the TLM group compared to those in the control group (all p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that a short-term TLM program could be effective for improving inflammatory state and IR, which are significant preceding biomarkers for cardiovascular complications in subjects with metabolic syndrome.