Exercise and Genes in Obese (EGO)

Regular exercise has several positive health effects including increased physical fitness and
muscle mass. It is well known that increased muscle mass is associated with increased resting
energy expenditure which may facilitate weight loss and maintenance. Previous studies have,
however, failed to show any consistent association between the intensity of physical exercise
and energy expenditure, or relate the variance in these adaptations to genetic variability.
Whether high-intensity exercise (HIE) is associated with improved health related quality of
life in severely obese patients remains unknown.

This PhD-project is based on a planned randomised controlled study including 50 or more
treatment seeking morbidly obese patients who will be randomised to either a 24 week
moderate-intensity exercise (MIE) programme or a 24 week high-intensity exercise (HIE)
programme. The investigators main hypothesis is that patients randomised to the HIE-program
will achieve higher energy expenditure during rest and physical activity after treatment than
those allocated to the MIE-programme. In addition, the investigators hypothesise that the
HIE-group will achieve a better health related quality of life than the MIE-group after
treatment. The investigators also hypothesize that inter-individual variability in adaptation
to the two training regimens may be due to genetic factors. If the investigators hypotheses
are confirmed, this project might have beneficial clinical implications for future obesity
treatment strategies.