Regular Exercise Training as a Principal Non-Pharmacological Method Affects Serum Leptin and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Men with Metabolic Syndrome

Background and Aim: Regular exercise training is the principal non-pharmacological method for the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome or other obesity-related diseases. We investigated the effects of aerobic training on leptin and cardiovascular risk factors in middle-aged men with metabolic syndrome. Methods: Twenty-six sedentary middle-aged males with metabolic syndrome aged 40 ± 5 years were randomly assigned to two groups as exercise (aerobic training, n =13) and control (no training, n =13). The exercise programs were performed 3 days a week for 10 weeks at 55-75% of HRmax. Fasting blood samples were taken before and after the training period for measuring serum leptin and triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), LDL, and HDL as cardiovascular risk factors. Results: No significant differences were observed between groups concerning anthropometric and clinical markers at baseline (p>0.05). Aerobic intervention resulted in significant decrease in anthropometric markers (abdominal circumference, body mass index, body fat percentage; p < 0.05), serum leptin (p = 0.026), TG (p = 0.001) and HDL (p = 0.032) in exercise group, but significant changes were not found in TC (p = 0.522) and LDL (p = 0.546). There were no changes in all measured variables in the control group. Conclusion: Based on our finding, it seems that regular aerobic exercise is associated with improved serum leptin and cardiovascular function in patients with metabolic syndrome.