The Modifying Impact of Long-Term Endurance Training on Inflammatory Cytokine IL-1B Level and VO2max in Premenopausal Women with Abdominal Obesity

[Background]A growing body of literature suggests that obesity is associated with low-grade inflammation and is regarded as a major risk factor for chronic diseases, such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome.[Objectives]The purpose of this study was to examine whether an endurance training program can affect the inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), in sedentary obese women.[Methods]Thirty sedentary obese women (30 ≤ BMI ≤ 36), aged 30 - 40 years, were selected through convenience and purposive sampling. They were then divided into exercise (n, 15) and control (n, 30) groups, based on random sampling using a table of random numbers. The exercise group received 3 months of supervised endurance training. Blood samples were obtained before and at the end of the program for measuring serum IL-1β level in the groups. Pre- and posttraining anthropometric indices, as well as maximal oxygen consumption (VO_2max) as an index of cardiovascular fitness, were also measured in the groups. Data were compared using independent paired t test.[Results]The endurance training program resulted in a significant decline in body weight, abdominal obesity, and other anthropometric indices (P < 0.001). The exercise group demonstrated a significant reduction in serum IL-1β level after 3 months of endurance training, compared with the baseline (2.44 ± 0.57 vs. 1.87 ± 0.29 pg/mL; P = 0.001). VO_2max improved significantly after the training program in comparison to the baseline (34.51 ± 5.44 vs. 39.53 ± 7.63 mL/kg/min; P = 0.001). There were no significant changes in these variables in the control group (P > 0.05).[Conclusions]The increased level of serum IL-1β, as an inflammatory cytokine, could be attributed to weight loss or cardiovascular fitness due to endurance training in obese women.