Moderate intensity walking exercises reduce the body mass index and vascular inflammatory factors in postmenopausal women with obesity: a randomized controlled trial.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to investigate the effects of moderate-intensity walking on body composition, vascular inflammatory factors, and VEGF in postmenopausal women with obesity.
Results Summary
The study found that a 12-week walking program significantly reduced weight, BMI, body fat percentage, and inflammatory markers (hs-CRP, IL-6, TNF-α) in the exercise group, suggesting potential benefits for preventing CVD. VEGF levels showed a non-significant tendency to increase.
Population
Postmenopausal women with obesity (ages 68-72).
Effective Dosage
Moderate-intensity walking (specific frequency/duration not detailed in abstract).
Duration
12 weeks.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
moderate intensity walking exercise program | decrease | weight | postmenopausal women with obesity | - | significantly decreased | #1 |
moderate intensity walking exercise program | decrease | body mass index | postmenopausal women with obesity | - | significantly decreased | #2 |
moderate intensity walking exercise program | decrease | percentage body fat | postmenopausal women with obesity | - | significantly decreased | #3 |
moderate intensity walking exercise program | decrease | high-sensitivity C-reactive protein | postmenopausal women with obesity | - | significantly decreased | #4 |
moderate intensity walking exercise program | decrease | interleukin-6 | postmenopausal women with obesity | - | significantly decreased | #5 |
moderate intensity walking exercise program | decrease | tumor necrosis factor-α | postmenopausal women with obesity | - | significantly decreased | #6 |
moderate intensity walking exercise program | no change | VEGF levels | postmenopausal women with obesity | - | did not change significantly | #7 |
moderate intensity walking exercise program | increase | VEGF levels | participants that exercised | - | a tendency to increase was observed | #8 |
Postmenopause, the secretion of female hormones changes, causing excessive fat accumulation in the body and leading to chronic inflammation, which increases the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Walking is an easily accessible daily exercise and effective non-pharmacological treatment for reducing obesity and the incidence of CVD. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of moderate intensity walking exercises on body composition, vascular inflammatory factors, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in postmenopausal women with obesity. Twenty-six older postmenopausal women with obesity (ages 68-72) were randomly assigned to control (n = 12, BMI 26.06 ± 1.37) or exercise (n = 14, BMI 26.04 ± 1.94) groups. Following a 12-week moderate intensity walking exercise program, we measured the participants' body composition with an InBody S10 analyzer and assessed blood sera using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. There was a significant clustering by weight (p < 0.01), body mass index (p < 0.01), percentage body fat (p < 0.001), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (p < 0.05), interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (p < 0.05) being significantly decreased in the exercise group. Although VEGF levels did not change significantly, a tendency to increase was observed in participants that exercised. Our results indicate that walking exercise may help prevent CVD in postmenopausal women with obesity by reducing obesity and vascular inflammatory factors.