Dietary and Exercise Intervention to Improve Readiness

Cardiac and skeletal health are major health concerns. In the United States, 13.5 million persons have cardiovascular disease and 28 million have osteoporosis or related bone disorders. National priorities for health promotion and disease prevention in Healthy People 2000 specifically target physical activity, fitness, and nutrition as key to prevention of the unnecessary burden of illness. Cardiovascular risk factors and overall fitness are key health issues which affect the readiness of guard and reserve members. Skeletal health is a growing priority in the military. Effective health promotion strategies provide a proactive means of improving health and readiness in this population. The recent Surgeon General's report of Physical Activity and Health (1996) establishes the cardiac and skeletal health benefits of moderate intensity exercise. Nutritional intervention is the necessary cohort to exercise and is required for optimal health outcomes. Unique programs using moderate intensity exercise intervention and a nutritional intervention incorporating soy into the diet are realistic lifestyle changes. Specific Aims: The specific aims of this project are to determine the effects of a soy-enhanced diet with and without exercise intervention with regard to 1) cardiac health, 2) skeletal health, and 3) aerobic fitness of guard and reserve personnel in South Dakota. Design: This is a 36 week randomized clinical trial including a double blind diet intervention and exercise intervention. A total of 120 (30 in each group) triservice guard and reserve personnel will be randomized into one of four groups: soy (25g/day) and placebo (milk protein) with and without moderate intensity exercise (40-59% VO2 reserve) 5 of more days per week. Analysis: Repeated measures ANOVA will be done to determine differences between baseline and repeated measures of cardiac health, skeletal health, and aerobic fitness.