The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of weight reduction by dietary restriction with / without exercise training on whole blood fluidity in obese women. Subjects were 80 obese middle-aged women who had followed four kinds of weight reduction programs; diet only (Group D, n=31, 46.7±9.9 yr), diet and walking (Group DW, n=25, 46.7±9.0 yr), diet and resistance training (Group DR, n=14, 45.0±4.1 yr), and diet and aqua exercise (Group DA, n=10, 54.9±9.0 yr). Blood fluidity was defined as the time of 100μl whole blood passage, which was measured by novel capillary-size channels (width; 7μm, depth; 4.5μm, length; 30μm, and number; 8736). Analyses of the data indicated that the time of whole blood passage was significantly shorted after weight reduction programs (Group D; -4.4±8.6 s, Group DW; -7.4±5.0 s, Group DR; -7.2±10.7 s, Group DA; -7.5±5.9 s). However, no significant differences existed in the time of whole blood passage among the 4 groups. Thus, it is impossible to improve blood fluidity with reduction of weight by dietary restriction. It cannot be denied that exercise habitation alone would improve blood fluidity because (1) occlusion of novel capillary-size channels observed in some woman of Groups DW, DR, and DA before the onset of our program disappeared after the program, and (2) the average time of whole blood passage because significantly shorter in these groups.

DESCENTE SPORTS SCIENCE Vol.25/THE DESCENTE AND ISHIMOTO MEMORIAL FOUNDATION FOR THE PROMOTION SPORTS SCIENCE