Effect of 12 week aerobic exercise on the obestatin level in obese women

Obestatin, an anti-hunger peptide, plays an important role in energy balance and body weight. The Aim of this study was to assess the effect of a 12 week aerobic exercise programon the obestatin level in obese women. Materials and Methods: Twenty obese volunteer women (age 35±6.81y, body mass index 35.8±3.67 Kg/m 2 , fat percent 43.98±4.02% and waist-hip ratio 1.03±0.05 (means±SD) were randomly divided into two equal groups, experience (n=10) and control (n=10). Aerobic training program was performed three sessions per week during 12 weeks using treadmill (start with 60-65% heart rate max/15-20 min, final with 80-85% heart rate max/ 45-50 min). Body composition, glucose, insulin and obestatin level were measured in the two groups before and after the intervention. Insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was measured by calculating the relevant equation. For intergroup comparison, paired t-test and for between group comparison independent-t test were used (significance level P<0.05). Result: The results showed that after a 12-week treatment of aerobic exercises, weight, fat percentage, WHR, and BMI in the experimental group were significantly decreased (P<0.05). It was also revealed that insulin and insulin resistance in the experimental group was significant. The important point was that the glucose level and obestatin did not show any significant changes (P<0.05). Conclusion: The result showed that 12 week aerobic exercise did not change the plasma obestatin levels significantly; however, body composition and insulin resistance were significantly reduced. It seems that obestatin has no effect on weight loss.