The Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Serum Leptin Levels and Body Mass Index in Obese Young Girls

Obesity is a complex disorder, which is characterized by excessive accumulation of adipose tissue. Leptin is a peptide hormone, which is basically secreted by adipose tissue and involved in the regulation of body weight and obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of aerobic exercise on the serum leptin levels and body mass index (BMI) in obese young girls. A total of 24 obese girls participated in this quasi-experimental study, who were randomly divided into two groups (experimental and control). Experimental group performed aerobic training (3times/week for 8 week, with intensity of 55-75% maximum heart rate). The duration of each exercise session in the first week was 45 minutes, consisted of 10 minutes of warm-up, 25 minutes of aerobic exercise, and finally 10 minutes of cool-down. Two minutes were added to the training time every week, and training time increased to 60 minutes in the final sessions. In the both groups, serum leptin levels and anthropometric indices were measured 48 hours before and after training period. Data were analyzed using paired and independent t-tests at the significance level of p<0/05. In this study, aerobic exercise caused significant decreases in weight, BMI, body fat percentage, and leptin level, but did not cause any significant changes in waist hip ratio (WHR). According to the results of this study, performing aerobic exercise, due to weight loss and decrease in leptin levels, could be an appropriate method for weight regulation in obese girls.