A 12-wk Dance Sports Program Improves Several Components Of Health-related Physical Fitness And Obesity-related Metabolic Syndrome Markers In Korean Post-menopausal Women

Abstract

PURPOSE The purpose of the study was to investigate if participation in a 12-wk dance sports program improved health-related physical fitness and obesity-related metabolic syndrome markers in Korean post-menopausal women aged 50–58 yrs old. METHODS A total of fifteen post-menopausal women with non-hormone replacement therapy (NHRT) (n=7) and HRT (n=8) voluntarily participated in the dance sports. The measured variables of the health-related physical fitness included cardio-respiratory endurance, strength, balance, flexibility, and muscular endurance. The measured metabolic syndrome markers included body fatness, blood lipids profiles, glucose, insulin, and blood pressure. Blood lipids, glucose, and insulin were measured in overnight-fasting blood. RESULTS Prior to the pre-intervention, there were no significant differences in any of the measured variables between the NHRT and HRT groups. However, analysis of variance showed that both of the NHRT and HRT group improved several components of health-related physical fitness (improvements in body weight, body mass index, post-menopausal symptoms) and obesity-related metabolic syndrome markers (i.e., decreases in TG and apo-B concentrations, with more favorable changes in the HRT group than in the NHRT group. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the current findings of the study show that a participation in the dance sports program can induce several positive effects on health-related physical fitness and metabolic syndrome markers in Korean post-menopausal women, regardless of HRT in the post-menopausal women.