Effect of Walking Exercise on Changes in Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Metabolic Syndrome Markers, and High-molecular-weight Adiponectin in Obese Middle-aged Women

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of a 24-week exercise intervention on cardiorespiratory fitness, metabolic syndrome markers, and high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin among obese middle-aged women. [Subjects] The subjects were 14 obese middle-aged women. [Methods] The exercise program involved walking at 50–60% of the maximum oxygen consumption, 3 times a week, for 24 weeks. Body composition analysis, blood pressure measurements, and blood analysis were performed before the exercise program and at weeks 6, 12, 18, and 24. [Results] The results showed that after 24 weeks in the exercise program, the obesity indices and metabolic risk factors, namely, weight, body fat, body mass index, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and triglycerides decreased significantly, whereas HDLC, a metabolic improvement factor, increased significantly. Additionally, VO2max increased significantly, together with the level of total and HMW adiponectins. Correlation analysis of the changes in measured variables (∆ score) during resulting from the 24-week exercise program showed that body fat had a significant negative correlation and VO2max had a significant positive correlation with HMW adiponectin. [Conclusion] Among obese middle-aged women, regular exercise increases cardiorespiratory fitness and HMW adiponectin expression and therefore can be effective in the prevention and treatment of obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Interactions of exercise training and high-fat diet on adiponectin forms and muscle receptors in mice

“…An absence of Ad mer modulation upon training was observed by Ando et al [61] after 12 weeks of combined resistance and aerobic exercise in Japanese participants. Other studies reported an increased HMW level after 12 weeks of aerobic exercise in obese adults with insulin resistance [62] and after 24 weeks of walking in obese middle-aged women [63]. Our results showed that the HMW proportion was significantly decreased in untrained HF mice but not in trained HF mice when compared with controls.…”

“…These discrepancies among studies could be related to the type and duration of exercise. Moreover, the different metabolic profiles observed in these studies could also have differently influenced the effect of training on Ad mer distribution [61–63]. Regarding this point, Garekani et al [59] and Chang et al [64] suggested that the effect of exercise training on Ad pl could depend on the obesity of the subject.…”

Effect of a 12-week aerobic training program on perceptual and affective responses in obese women

“…Excess body fat and lack of exercise can trigger the onset of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension among other problems 2 ) . However, regular physical activity can improve physical fitness and assist in the prevention and treatment of diseases related to a sedentary lifestyle and excess body fat 3 , 4 , 5 ) . Although the benefits of a regular physical activity program are well-known and widespread, there are still many people who do not engage in physical activity regularly 6 ) .…”

Effects of walking on body composition in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Several recent studies have shown the effects of walking on body weight and body composition in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] ; however, to our knowledge, there has not been a systematic evaluation of the effects of walking on body weight and fat distribution in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. A meta-analysis is an approach in which individual study outcomes are quantitatively combined to arrive at overall conclusions regarding a body of research.…”