The Effect of Aerobic Exercise Training on Oxidized LDL Cholesterol (Ox-LDL) Levels and Some Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Women with Obesity

Today, the prevalence of obesity is seen as a major social challenge, affecting the general health of societies, which creates irreversible psychological, social, and economic consequences. In this regard, exercise training is one of the most important interventions in preventing and controlling obesity and the associated metabolic factors, which can be an appropriate and low-cost option for promoting community health and to some extent, managing metabolic diseases. The present study was aimed at evaluating the impact of eight weeks of aerobic exercises on the levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol (Ox-LDL) and cardiovascular risk factors among obese and overweight females. This study was conducted in Gachsaran, Iran in 2018. Following a public call for inclusion as part of this quasi-experimental study, 22 obese women who met the inclusion criteria that was set for the study were chosen and were then divided into experimental (exercise training) (n = 11) and control (n = 11) groups. The subjects in the experimental group ran for eight weeks, three sessions per week for 45 minutes at an intensity of 55% to 65% of maximal oxygen consumption (Vo2max). Independent and paired sample t-test were used to account for the variations. For statistical analysis SPSS-21 software was used, and the significance level was set to be less than P < 0.05. The findings indicated that the participants’ body mass indices in the experimental group significantly decreased (P < 0.001). In addition, it was found that insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), insulin, glucose and lipoproteins (LDL-TC-TG), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly diminished (P < 0.001), whereas the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level went up (P < 0.001) following the treatment. No significant changes in Ox-LDL were found after eight weeks of aerobic exercise training (P = 0.07). It seems that eight weeks of exercise training with decreasing anthropometric indices, CRP levels, and insulin resistance, even without changing the levels of Ox-LDL, can prevent obesity and metabolic complications.