Increases in Adiponectin Levels due to Aerobic Training depend on sex and ethnicity

Abstract

Aerobic training (AT) may increase adiponectin (ADPN) levels, but sex and ethnicity may also affect this interaction. We compared ADPN levels in male (M) and female (F) trained marathoners (T; M=10, F=8) and untrained novices (UT; M=9, F=11) in a 6-mo AT interventional study. Fasting plasma samples were collected at the beginning and end of the 6-mo training and analyzed. ADPN levels increased significantly in both R and B females and B males, but non-significantly in R males. We also compared ADPN levels of Caucasian (C) and non-Caucasian (NC) in both sexes (M, F) from T and UT groups at the beginning of the study. We separated the participants into different groups based on the training history (T, UT), ethnicity (C, NC), and sex (M, F). ADPN levels in the trained female marathoners (C-T-F = 22, NC-T-F = 6) were significantly higher than those in the comparably trained males within same ethnic group (C-T-M = 23, NC-T-M = 11). ADPN levels in the trained female marathoners were also significantly higher than those in the untrained novice females within the same ethnic group (C-UT-F = 18, NC-UT-F = 18). ADPN levels in the trained male marathoners were non-significantly higher than those in the untrained novice males within the same ethnic group (C-UT-M = 9, NC-UT-M = 18). Long-term AT raises ADPN levels in Caucasian and non-Caucasian females, but not males.