Effect of combined aerobic and resistance training in body composition of obese postmenopausal women

Fabrício E Rossi,Tiego A Diniz,Ismael F Freitas Junior,Rômulo A Fernandes,Juliana Viezel,Camila Buonani,Eduardo P Da Silva,Vanessa R Dos Santos

doi:10.1590/s1980-65742015000100008

Fabrício E Rossi, Tiego A Diniz + Show 6 more

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https://doi.org/10.1590/s1980-65742015000100008

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a 16-week program of combined aerobic and resistance training on the body composition of postmenopausal women who are obese. The participants were divided into two groups: training group (TG, n = 37) and non-trained control group (CG, n = 18). The trunk fat, fat mass, percentage of fat mass and fat-free mass were estimated using DXA. Three nonconsecutive 24-hour dietary recalls were conducted. The training protocol consisted of 50 minutes of resistance training followed by 30 minutes of aerobic training. After the 16-week training program, differences were observed in trunk fat (CG= 0.064 x TG= -0.571 Kg; p-value = .020), fat mass (CG= -0.088 x TG= -1.037 Kg; p-value = .020) and fat-free mass (CG= -0.388 x TG= 1.049 Kg; p = .001). Therefore, a 16-week program of systematic combined aerobic and resistance training in obese postmenopausal women was effective in improving fat-free mass and decreasing both whole and abdominal adiposity.

Highlights

Epidemiological studies have identified that menopause promotes significant changes in body composition (Aubertin-Leheudre, Lord, Labonte, Khalil, & Dionne, 2008; Day, Gozansky, Van Pelt, Schwartz, & Kohrt, 2005; Donato, Fuchs, Oppermann, Bastos, & Spritzer, 2006) and that postmenopausal women are at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular complications, such as endothelial dysfunction, stroke and cerebrovascular agents (Miller et al, 2013)
Previous studies have shown that long term aerobic exercise is effective in reducing Fat mass (FM) in postmenopausal women, but changes in fat-free mass (FFM) have not been observed (Friedenreich et al, 2011; Lee et al, 2012; Wanderley et al, 2013)
The isolated effect of resistance training on body composition in elderly women has shown an increase in FFM but without a decrease in FM (Binder et al, 2005)

Summary

Introduction

Epidemiological studies have identified that menopause promotes significant changes in body composition (Aubertin-Leheudre, Lord, Labonte, Khalil, & Dionne, 2008; Day, Gozansky, Van Pelt, Schwartz, & Kohrt, 2005; Donato, Fuchs, Oppermann, Bastos, & Spritzer, 2006) and that postmenopausal women are at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular complications, such as endothelial dysfunction, stroke and cerebrovascular agents (Miller et al, 2013). Several scientific studies have suggested that some alterations in body composition (predominantly an increase in abdominal fat) play a central role in harmful events related to the postmenopausal period (Day et al, 2005; Donato et al, 2006; Huang, 2009). Buonani et al (2013) reported that postmenopausal women, evaluated using a tri-axial accelerometer, who demonstrated higher values in minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity (> 150 minutes/week) had lower levels of body fat The chronic effect of aerobic exercise is effective in the reduction/control of whole and central adiposity among postmenopausal women (Choquette et al, 2011; Friedenreich et al, 2011; Yassine et al, 2009), this kind of exercise is not enough for the preservation/maintenance of fat-free mass. Resistance training is effective in improving muscle mass, but, in turn, its effectiveness in the reduction of body fat is unclear (Nelson et al, 2007)

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