Effect of Aerobic Exercise in Water on Serum Estrogen and C - Reactive Protein and Body Mass Index Level in Obese and Normal Weight Postmenopausal Women

Menopause is associated with increasing incidence of cardiovascular disease, and different exercise regimens can variously affect different cardiovascular risk factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an aerobic exercise in water on serum estrogen, C-reactive protein (CRP) and body mass index (BMI) levels in obese and normal weight postmenopausal women. This quasi-experimental study comprised 29 volunteer non-athletic postmenopausal women with mean age 57.04 ± 4.68 years. The study subjects were divided into two groups of obese (n = 15; BMI = 30.21 ± 3.89) and normal weight (n = 14; BMI = 22.43 ± 2.45) according to their BMI. The subjects of both groups participated in aquatic exercise training for 8 weeks, 3 sessions a week, with progressive intensity of 50 to 70 percent of maximum heart rate for 45 minutes between 10-11 am. The blood samples were taken the day before and two days after the exercise sessions through the left brachial vein. Wilcoxon signed ranks test and Mann-Whitney test were used for data analysis. In the obese and normal weight groups exercise caused significant increase in estrogen (P=0.001, P = 0.001, respectively) and decreased the BMI (P = 0.009, P = 0.003, respectively); however, CRP decreased significantly when compared to pre exercise in the normal weight group (P = 0.005), No statistically significant change was observed in the obese group (P = 0.084). There was no significant difference in estrogen (P = 0.32), BMI (P = 0.62) and CRP (P = 0.35) changes following exercise between obese and normal weight groups. In the present study, aquatic aerobic exercise caused similar reduction in some cardiovascular risk factors among obese and normal weight postmenopausal women. However, future studies are recommended for more clarification.