The Effects of a Short-term Aerobic Training on Biochemical Cardiovascular Risk Factors and IL-6 in Obese Females

Introduction: Obesity participates in the progression of systemic inflammation and cardiovascular disorders. We aimed to assess the impacts of aerobic training on serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and risk factors for cardiovascular dysfunction in obese women. Methods: Physically inactive, obese women matched for age (38 ± 5 years) and body mass index (BMI) (30 ≤BMI ≤36 kg/m2) were randomly divided into exercise (moderate aerobic training, 6 weeks, 3 d/wk, n = 13) and control (no training, n = 13) groups. Pre- and post-training measurements of anthropometric markers, serum IL-6 and cardiovascular risk factors were done. Within and between groups comparisons were performed by paired sample t-test and independent sample t test, respectively. Results: Aerobic training induced significant decreases in body weight, BMI, body fat (%) and abdominal obesity as anthropometric markers (P < 0.05). Compared to pre-training condition, serum IL-6, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) showed no alterations by aerobic training in the exercise group (P > 0.05). However, participants in the aerobic training group revealed a significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and a decrease in TG/HDL and LDL/HDL (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Short-time aerobic training does not appear to contribute to circulating serum levels of IL-6 in obese females; however, it affects lipid profile and may be considered as a beneficial non-pharmaceutical intervention against cardiovascular diseases in obese women.