Our study, the Improving Diet, Exercise and Lifestyle (I.D.E.A.L.) for Women Study, was approved by the Research Ethics Board of the Hamilton Health Sciences and conformed to the most recent Canadian government tri-council funding policy statement on the use of human subjects in research (33 ). The study was conducted from June 2008 to May 2010. A total of 246 women were recruited from McMaster University and the surrounding Hamilton area through posters and local newspaper advertisements. Of those, 95 participants gave their written, informed consent to participate. Prior to beginning the trial, 5 women declined participation and 90 were randomized into 3 groups. Information regarding recruitment and participant flow is in Supplemental Figure 1 .
Participants were all premenopausal and overweight or obese women (BMI between 27 and 40 kg/m2) between the ages of 19 and 45 y. Other general inclusion criteria were: low dairy product consumption, sedentary lifestyle, regular menstrual cycle, no vitamin or mineral supplementation, and otherwise healthy. Participants were deemed healthy and eligible to participate based on their responses to a short medical screening questionnaire that inquired about metabolic risk factors (cholesterol, insulin, and glucose concentrations and blood pressure), heart and other organ disease, orthopedic injury that would interfere with exercise, gastrointestinal disease, clinically diagnosed dairy protein allergy, clinically diagnosed lactose intolerance, and prescription medication use. Participants were excluded if they had any of the aforementioned conditions.
Prior to the study commencing, participants’ height and weight were measured (Healthweigh 140–10 Eye Level Digital Physician scale). They then completed a FFQ validated for calcium and dairy foods to verify their low consumption at baseline (as per the study inclusion criteria). Participants were also instructed on how to accurately complete a 7-d food record and were given their own set of measuring cups and spoons to use throughout the study.
Participants were all premenopausal and overweight or obese women (BMI between 27 and 40 kg/m2) between the ages of 19 and 45 y. Other general inclusion criteria were: low dairy product consumption, sedentary lifestyle, regular menstrual cycle, no vitamin or mineral supplementation, and otherwise healthy. Participants were deemed healthy and eligible to participate based on their responses to a short medical screening questionnaire that inquired about metabolic risk factors (cholesterol, insulin, and glucose concentrations and blood pressure), heart and other organ disease, orthopedic injury that would interfere with exercise, gastrointestinal disease, clinically diagnosed dairy protein allergy, clinically diagnosed lactose intolerance, and prescription medication use. Participants were excluded if they had any of the aforementioned conditions.
Prior to the study commencing, participants’ height and weight were measured (Healthweigh 140–10 Eye Level Digital Physician scale). They then completed a FFQ validated for calcium and dairy foods to verify their low consumption at baseline (as per the study inclusion criteria). Participants were also instructed on how to accurately complete a 7-d food record and were given their own set of measuring cups and spoons to use throughout the study.
