Lifestyle modifications such as regular exercise, dietary treatment, and blood pressure (BP) control, etc. are recommended for an improvement of metabolic syndrome risk factors. This study was conducted to examine the effects of exercise (Ex), dietary (Diet), antihypertensive medication therapy (Capt), and a combined treatment with each of these therapies on risk factors of metabolic syndrome. The risk factors involved include body weight (BW), visceral fat mass (VFM), BP, glucose intolerance (GI) and serum lipids in Otsuka Long Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats, being obese-diabetic models. Sixty-four male OLETF rats were divided into six groups. Each therapy was conducted from 21 to 31 weeks of age. Ex group participated in voluntary exercise using a rotatory wheel, and Diet group was restricted to 70% of the food intake consumed freely by the other groups. The Capt group was administered about 20 mg/kg/day with Capt every day. The combined exercise with dietary treatment (Ex&Diet) group exercised every other day, and was simultaneously restricted to 80% of the food intake. The combined exercise with Capt treatment (Ex&Capt) group exercised, while taking Capt every day. Sedentary control (Sed) group maintained an inactive lifestyle throughout the experiment.
　BW in Sed and Capt groups increased with aging, and conversely Ex, Diet, Ex&Diet and Ex&Capt groups showed a significant decrease in BW compared to that of Sed and Capt groups during therapy. BP in Ex, Diet and Ex&Diet groups had a tendency to be higher, but Capt and Ex&Capt groups had lower BP levels during therapy. Ex, Diet, Ex&Diet and Ex&Capt treatments improved GI and serum lipids levels, and reduced BW, VFM and subcutaneous fat masses (SFM). Especially worthy of notice is the fact that Ex significantly reduced VFM compared to the amount reduced by Diet, although there was no difference in the reduction of SFM between Diet and Ex treatments. Capt improved serum lipid levels, but there was no improvement of GI, nor a reduction of VFM. There was no difference in the improvement of GI and fatty metabolism (FM) between Ex and Diet treatments, except that VFM reduction by Ex was greater than that by Diet treatment.
　A combination therapy including exercise, diet and antihypertensive medication treatment may be more effective for the improvement of metabolic syndrome risk factors, particularly complicated with hypertension.

DESCENTE SPORTS SCIENCE Vol.28/THE DESCENTE AND ISHIMOTO MEMORIAL FOUNDATION FOR THE PROMOTION SPORTS SCIENCE