Search

Background It is well established that body composition influences metabolic health, but emerging data are conflicting with the largely purported idea that a large fat‐free mass (FFM) has a protective effect on health. A potential explanation for these discrepancies is the way FFM is represented. The first objective is to determine the association between the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and FFM when the latter was represented in three different ways: 1—absolute FFM; 2—relative to squared height (FFMi); and 3—relative to body weight (FFM%). The second objective is to assess the impact of FFM on the relative risk of having the MetS after taking fat mass, physical activity, and sociodemographic variables into account. Methods A total of 5274 individuals from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database were studied. Age‐specific and sex‐specific quartiles of the three representations of FFM were defined, and the prevalence of MetS was determined in each of them. Quartiles of FFMi (kg/m2) were used to calculate the odds ratios of having the MetS independently of FM, physical activity levels, and sociodemographic variables. Results The prevalence of MetS decreased with increasing quartiles of whole‐body FFM% (Q1: 40%; Q4: 10%) but grew with increasing quartiles of absolute FFM (Q1: 13%; Q4: 40%) and FFMi (Q1: 10%; Q4: 44%). Similar results were observed for appendicular and truncal FFM. The odds ratios of having the MetS, independently of fat mass, physical activity, and sociodemographic variables, were significantly greater in the fourth quartile of FFMi when compared with the first quartiles of each specific subgroup [Q4 vs. Q1: younger men: 4.16 (1.99–8.68); younger women: 5.74 (2.46–13.39); older men: 1.98 (1.22–3.22); older women: 2.88 (1.69–4.90); all P ≤ 0.01]. Conclusions These results support the notion that the representation of FFM significantly influences its association with MetS and that a larger FFM, whether absolute or relative to height, is associated with alterations in cardiometabolic health.

Objective: To compare the acute and chronic effects of low-volume high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on glycemic control, body composition and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in older women with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: Thirty older women (68 ± 5 years) with T2D were randomized in two groups—HIIT (75 min/week) or MICT (150 min/week). Glucose homeostasis (A1c, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR2) and body composition (iDXA) were measured before and after the 12-week exercise intervention. During the first and last week of training (24-h before and 48-h after exercise), the following CGM-derived data were measured: 24-h and peak glucose levels, glucose variability and time spent in hypoglycemia as well as severe and mild hyperglycemia. Results: While lean body mass increased (p = 0.035), total and trunk fat mass decreased (p ≤ 0.007), without any difference between groups (p ≥ 0.81). Fasting glucose levels (p = 0.001) and A1c (p = 0.014) significantly improved in MICT only, with a significant difference between groups for fasting glucose (p = 0.02). Neither HIIT nor MICT impacted CGM-derived data at week 1 (p ≥ 0.25). However, 24-h and peak glucose levels, as well as time spent in mild hyperglycemia, decreased in HIIT at week 12 (p ≤ 0.03). Conclusion: These results suggest that 12 weeks of low-volume HIIT is enough to provide similar benefit to MICT for body composition and improve the acute effect of exercise when measured with CGM.

La pensée de Claude Lefort est généralement associée au renouveau de la philosophie politique et à la réflexion sur le statut de la démocratie moderne. Il est cependant un domaine – auquel une large part de ses écrits est consacrée – qui demeure négligé ou bien se trouve relégué au second plan : celui de l’interprétation. Dans cet article, nous cherchons à répondre à la question suivante : Lefort propose-t-il, notamment dans son ouvrage Le travail de l’oeuvre Machiavel, une méthode de lecture des textes du passé ? Nous défendons l’idée qu’il existe bel et bien un « art de lire » lefortien et que celui-ci trouve son point d’appui dans la redéfinition de la notion centrale d’oeuvre de pensée. L’analyse des « propriétés » de l’oeuvre et des tâches qu’elle assigne au lecteur permet de dévoiler les articulations de la théorie interprétative de Lefort et de montrer de quelle façon celle-ci constitue l’un des fondements de sa pensée du politique., Claude Lefort’s work is often cited and appraised for its contribution to the renewal of political philosophy as well as for its significant impact on the reflection on democracy. However, there is one important part of Lefort’s writings that has been neglected by political theorists: the issue of interpretation. Therefore, this paper seeks to answer the following question: according to Lefort, how should one read past texts? This article examines the philosophical and political implications of Lefort’s interpretative theory presented in his book Machiavelli in the Making. In examining how Lefort understands the central notion of «work of thought» (oeuvre de pensée), the aim is to illustrate in which way this conception prescribes an art of reading that can be considered as a general theory of interpretation.

The impact of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) compared to the current exercise recommendations (moderate intensity continuous aerobic exercise; CONT) has to be verified in obese older women before being used by health professionals. Objective: The purpose of this study is to compare the effect of HIIT to CONT on body composition, metabolic profile and affective responses in obese elderly. Methods: A total of 20 older and sedentary women (60–75 years) with abdominal obesity (waist circumference ≥ 88 cm) are currently recruited and randomized to one of the following group: 1) HIIT (n=10); 2) CONT (n=10). All variables are measured before and after 8 weeks of intervention: Anthropometry (weight, height, body mass index), body composition (fat mass [FM], lean body mass [LBM], visceral adipose tissue [VAT]; DXA), metabolic profile (fasting lipid profile, glucose and insulin) and physical capacity (senior fitness test). Affective responses are measured before and after each training session. Preliminary Results: VAT tend to decrease in HIIT group only (p=0.07) while total FM remained unchanged. Moreover, HDL-C tend to increase in HIIT only (p=0.09) while LDL-C decreased (p=0.01) in both groups. Finally, while HbA1c tend to increase, total cholesterol tend to decrease in HIIT and CONT (both, p=0.08). Finally, affective response before and after each training were similar between HIIT and CONT (both p>0.48) and remained unchanged. Conclusion: Our preliminary results suggest that HIIT could provide better improvements (VAT and HDL-C) compared to the current exercise recommendations in physically inactive older women.