Resistance training improves cardiovascular risk factors in obese women despite a significative decrease in serum adiponectin levels

Abstract

Increased circulating adiponectin and insulin sensitivity are usually observed after body fat loss induced by a weight-loss diet. Progressive resistance training (PRT) without a concomitant weight-loss diet significantly decreases visceral fat, thus improving insulin sensitivity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to ascertain the effects of combined 16-week PRT and weight-loss diet on circulating adiponectin and insulin sensitivity index. Thirty-four obese (BMI: 30-40kg/m 2) women, aged 40-60 year, were randomized to three groups: a control group (C; n = 9); a diet group (WL; n = 12) with a caloric restriction of 500kcal/d; and a diet plus resistance training group (WLRT; n = 13) with the same caloric restriction as group WL and a 16-week supervised whole body PRT of two sessions/week. Both WL and WLRT groups showed similar decreases in body mass (6.3% and 7.7%) and visceral fat (19.9% and 20.5%). WL resulted in an expected increase in circulating levels of adiponectin (P = 0.07) and insulin sensitivity. However, circulating total adiponectin decreased (P 0.05) in WLRT group, whereas an improvement in different cardiovascular risk factors (insulin sensitivity, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), etc.) was observed. In conclusion, in obese women a 16-week combined PRT and weight-loss diet is accompanied by significant improvements in different cardiovascular risk factors in spite of a significant decrease of circulating adiponectin.