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The Effects of Upper vs. Lower Body Fat and Aerobic Exercise on Indices of the Metabolic Syndrome
Author(s) -
Apolzan John William,
Talbert Willie M,
Earnest Conrad P,
Martin Corby K,
Church Timothy S
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.1288.2
Subject(s) - pear , medicine , metabolic syndrome , triglyceride , aerobic exercise , insulin resistance , population , endocrinology , physiology , obesity , cholesterol , biology , environmental health , botany
Apple shaped (higher waist to hip ratios; WHR) people have higher levels of abdominal and visceral adiposity and therefore higher risks of having type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Pear shaped (lower WHR) people have improved lipid homeostasis and insulin sensitivity compared to apple shaped people. Physical activity has been shown to improve indices of the metabolic syndrome. The purpose of this study was to examine the differential responses of indices of the metabolic syndrome to exercise in people with different body fat depots (i.e. apple vs. pear shapes). Methods The original study recruited healthy sedentary persons and randomized them to an aerobic exercise or control group. Data from female completers with pre and post CT scans were used in the analyses. Female participants were grouped based on the division of the WHR at the median. Thus, the present study had 4 groups. Results The study population (N=92) had an average age of 51±1 y and BMI of 31.4±0.4 kg/m 2 . The average WHR were: 0.88±0.04 exercise apple, 0.79±0.03 exercise pear, 089 ±0.04 control apple, and 0.79±0.04 control pear. Visceral adipose tissue decreased in both the apple and pear exercise groups (p=0.05). Apple exercisers tended to have greater reductions in blood pressure compared to the apple control group (p=0.06). Pear shaped individuals tended to have better circulating triglyceride levels (p=0.085) and VLDL levels (p=0.085) compared to apple exercise group. Body shape in aerobic exercisers tended to predict change in the following metabolic syndrome parameters: BMI (r=.25; p=0.08), hip circumference (r=.25; p=0.08), VLDL (r=.27; p=0.08), Cholesterol: HDL ratio (r=.25; p=0.06), and triglycerides (r=.27; p=0.06). Conclusion Apple and pear shaped participants decreased visceral adiposity with exercise. Persons with pear shapes should increase aerobic exercise to decrease circulating triglycerides and VLDL levels, while persons with apple shapes should increase aerobic exercise to decrease blood pressure. Aerobic exercise in pear shaped women predicted positive change in metabolic health outcomes. Support or Funding Information This research was funded by grants from the NIH including a T35 DK093428, U54 GM104940, and a HL 75442.