Effect of Intermittent and Continuous Exercise in Water and Land on Visfatin in Pre and Post Menopausal Obese Women

Introduction: Physical activity and obesity affect the release of effective adipokines. In this regard, the present study investigated the effects of intermittent and continuous exercise in water and land (running on a treadmill) on visfatin, insulin, and blood glucose in pre and post menopausal obese women. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 18 obese women of Bandar Abbas City were divided into two groups of postmenopausal and premenopausal. The subjects performed 4 intermittent and continuous exercises in water and land. Land sports activities included running on a treadmill and water sports activities included aerobic movements with an intensity of 70-80% of the maximum heart rate for 30 minutes. Before and after the implementation of exercise protocols, serum levels of visfatin and insulin were measured through ELISA and those of glucose through colorimetric method. The collected data were analyzed using dependent t-test, analysis of covariance (2×4), and post hoc Bonferroni test with a significance level of pvalue <0.05. Results: After 4 types of physical activity, serum levels of visfatin did not change significantly compared to before activity and there was also no significant difference between the two groups of women (pvalue<0.05). The amount of insulin after intermittent (in water and land) and continuous (land) exercise reduced significantly (pvalue<0.05). Conclusion: It seems that women’s menopausal status have no effect on response of visfatin, insulin, and blood glucose to intermittent and continuous exercise in water and land. However, intermittent exercise leads to a better response in these variables compared with continuous exercise.