Abstract
Obesity is a worldwide epidemic that increases the risk of several well-known co-morbidities. There is a complicated relationship between adipokines and low-grade inflammation in obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Physical activity practices have beneficial health effects on obesity and related disorders such as hypertension and dyslipidemia. We investigated the effects of 6 and 12 months of moderate physical training on the levels of adipokines and CVD markers in normal weight, overweight and obese volunteers. The 143 participants were followed up at baseline and after six and twelfth months of moderate regular exercise, 2 times a week, for 12 months. The volunteers were distributed into 3 groups: Normal Weight Group (NWG,), Overweight Group (OVG) and Obese Group (OBG). We evaluated blood pressure, resting heart rate, anthropometric parameters, body composition, fitness capacity (VO2max and isometric back strength), cardiovascular markers (CRP, total cholesterol, LDL-c, HDL-c, homocysteine) and adipokine levels (leptin, adiponectin, resistin, IL-6 and TNF-alpha). There were no significant changes in anthropometric parameters and body composition in any of the groups following 6 and 12 months of exercise training. Leptin, IL-6 levels and systolic blood pressure were significantly elevated in OBG before the training. Regular exercise decreased HDL-c, leptin, adiponectin and resistin levels and diastolic blood pressure in OVG. In OBG, exercise diminished HDL-c, homocysteine, leptin, resistin, IL-6, adiponectin. Moderate exercise had no effect on the body composition; however, exercise did promote beneficial effects on the low-grade inflammatory state and CVD clinical markers in overweight and obese individuals.
Highlights
Obesity is a public health problem and can be classified as a world epidemic that leads to an elevation in medical costs
IL-6 is a novel adipokine expressed by both adipocytes and the stromovascular matrix of visceral white adipose tissue implicated in the genesis of obesity
The total body mass, fat and lean mass were higher in Obese Group (OBG) and Overweight Group (OVG) than normal weight (NWG)
Summary
Obesity is a public health problem and can be classified as a world epidemic that leads to an elevation in medical costs. In obese individuals there are marked increases in the secretion of pro-inflammatory adipokines including leptin, resistin, IL-6 and TNF-alpha, and decreased production of anti-inflammatory adipokines such as adiponectin. This change in adipokine balance is a key component of pathogenic metabolic and immune responses and has impacts on angiogenesis, blood pressure and lipid metabolism, all of which are linked with cardiovascular disease [2, 3]. Adipokines exert their effects in a paracrine or endocrine manner, inducing hypertension and dyslipidemia through an elevation in mineralocorticoid and catecholamine activity and unbalanced lipid metabolism. Adiponectin predominantly affects the liver, skeletal muscle, vascular wall, and endothelial cells and has antiinflammatory and anti-atherogenic effects [10]
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