The Effect of 8 Weeks Aquatic Exercise Program on Plasma Visfatin Level and Some Blood Factors in Obese Men

Abstract

Background: As a novel adipokine, visfatin is associated with obesity exerting an insulin mimetic effect. Nevertheless, it is not clear whether an aquatic exercise program causes variations in the adipose tissue and lipids in the blood reduce plasma visfatin or not. Objectives: The present research aims to investigate the influence of an eight-week aquatic exercise program on plasma visfatin level and some blood factors in non-athletic obese men. Methods: This study was conducted as a semi experimental design with a pretest-posttest and with a control group. After a public call, the subjects who met the research criteria were selected. Then, 24 eligible, healthy, non-athletic obese men (30 ≤ BMI ≤ 32), aged 35 - 45 years, were selected randomly and assigned into an experimental and a control group, each comprising of 12 subjects. The experimental group was subjected to an intervention period of eight weeks, three days per week, at an intensity of 60% - 70% of maximum heart rate for 40 to 55 minutes. The independent t-test and the paired t-test were employed to determine variations in the variables. For the purposes of statistical analysis, the software SPSS-21 was used at the level of significance of P < 0.05. Results: The results showed that body mass index or BMI (P < 0.003), the ratio of waist to hip (P < 0.012), and body fat percentage (P < 0.001) in the experimental group, decreased significantly subsequent to aquatic exercise training. The results obtained from the independent t-test also demonstrated that HOMA-IR (P = 0.001) and visfatin plasma (P = 0.001) was significantly reduced in the experimental group in comparison with the control group. Conclusions: It appears that the aquatic exercise program with weight loss induced changes in adipose tissue decreased plasma visfatin and insulin resistance in non-athletic obese men.