Aerobic exercise is an independent determinant of levels of inflammation and oxidative stress in middle-aged obese females

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a 4-week moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on changes of body composition and markers of inflammation and oxidative stress independent from weight loss in middle-aged obese females. Thity-five obese females were randomly assigned to either an exercise (EX, N=16) or control (CON, N=19) group. The EX performed moderate intensity aerobic ex-ercise on the treadmill for 60 min at 55% of maximal oxygen consump-tion (VO2max) for 4 weeks (3 days/wk). Body composition measurement with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and blood collection were con-ducted before and after the 4-weeks intervention. Blood samples were used to measure levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), C-reac-tive protein, adiponectin, total antioxidant status (TAS), and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine. Four weeks of aerobic exercise intervention sig-nificantly increased VO2max in EX (P<0.001). EX also observed a decrease in TNF-α (P=0.033) and an increase in TAS (P=0.028) without changes in body weight and fat mass after 4 weeks of aerobic exercise training. No changes were observed in CON after the intervention. Results of this study indicate that moderate aerobic exercises may contribute, at least a part, to reductions of inflammation and oxidative stress inde-pendently from fat loss. Therefore, it may reduce risks of obesity-asso-ciated disorders in middle-aged obese females