The Influences of“Living High-Training Low”on Endocannabinoids and Gastrointestinal Hormones Changes in Obese Adolescents

Objective:Body weight regaining was not uncommon for young people who had lost weight after an exercise and/or diet program.Previous studies presented that the intervention of“living high-training low”could result in changes of the appetite and metabolism.The purpose of this study was to determine if a 4-week “living high-training low”intervention would influence on youth weight loss and explore the mechanisms underlying the weight loss effect induced by endocannabinoids change.Method:Forty overweight and obese adolescents(age at 11~15 years)volunteered to participate in the weight-loss program.They were randomly assigned to two groups,but 5 subjects quitted the study.Therefore,at last,the living low-training low(n=19)and the living high-training low group(n=16).All subjects completed an informed consent document prior to participating in the study.Both groups underwent exercise training and diet intervention.The personalized exercise training program was prescribed based on individual fitness levels.The personalized diet plan was formulated and modified with individual basal metabolic rate.Subjects were assigned to two different sleeping conditions for four weeks,with the living low-training low group in normal condition but the living high-training low group in a hypoxic room equipped with hypoxia systems that simulated an altitude of 2,700 meters.Before and after the 4-week intervention,adipose levels,metabolic health-related blood biomarkers,plasma endocannabinoids levels and other gastrointestinal hormones were measured and assessed.Results:After the intervention,both the living low-training low and the living high-training low group experienced a significant decrease in body weight and BMI.However,the effect was much greater on the subjects in the living high-training low group than those of the living low-training low group(P<0.05).Accompanying the weight loss,plasma endocannabinoids levels exhibited different changes in both groups,with an increase in the living low-training low group but a decrease in the living high-training low group.Other gastrointestinal hormones levels including CCK and MCP-1also responded differently to the intervention.Both hormones decreased in the living low-training low group,while the living hightraining low group showed no change in CCK but an increase in MCP-1.Conclusions:The findings of the study demonstrated the influence of hypoxia exposure in a traditional exerciseplus-diet weigh loss program on weight loss in obese adolescents.The endocannabinoids and other gastrointestinal hormones might play an important role in mediating such an effect.They might enhance the short-and long-term effect of weight loss via minimizing the compensatory response of appetite induced by exercise and diet.