Introduction: Adipose tissue and inflammatory factors play important role in occurrence of atherosclerosis in overweight women. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of aerobic exercise training on risk factors involved in atherosclerosis in overweight women.
Materials and methods: For this, fourteen overweight women (mean ± standard deviation: body mass index 28.49 ± 3.28 k/m2 and body fat 35.01 ± 3.68%) conducted aerobic exercise training for 8 weeks (at intensity correspond with 65 to 80 % reserved heart rate). Before and after aerobic exercise training, fasting blood samples were taken and anthropometrics characteristics were measured. The data were analyzed using Paired sample t-test (P<0.05).
Results: Aerobic exercise training significantly increased maximal oxygen consumption in overweight women (P=0.001). In contrast, aerobic exercise training result in significant reduction in intracellular adhesion molecule 1 levels (P=0.013) and C-reactive protein (P=0.001). In addition, anthropometric measurements of body fat percentage (P=0.006), waist to hip ratio (P=0.01), and body mass index (P=0.001) showed a significant reduction, too. However, no significant change observed in platelet (P=0.127), high density lipoprotein (P=0.107), low density lipoprotein (P=0.095) and cholesterol (P=0.391) levels.
Conclusion: Reduction in body fat following aerobic exercise training in overweight women is corresponding with a reduction in inflammatory markers involved in atherosclerosis.
