The effect of different intensities of aerobic exercise on insulin levels and insulin resistance in rats with polycystic ovary syndrome

Aerobic training can be affected in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) which is one of the most common endocrine disorders in women. However, it's worth saying that different intensities of aerobic exercises for curing the disease is in ambiguous. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of eight weeks aerobic training with different intensities on levels of insulin, fasting glucose and insulin resistance in female rats with polycystic ovary syndrome. In this experimental study, forty adult eight-week rats with Wistar race (185±22 gr) after induction of PCOS, divided into four groups: healthy control, polycystic control, low-and moderate-intensity groups. They took part in eight-week program of aerobic exercise with 45% maximal oxygen consumption (equal 15m/min speed) and 65% maximal oxygen consumption (equal 25m/min speed), within three days a week for two period of 35 minutes with 10 min rest between periods. Data were collected and analyzed by Spss software (version16.0). One way analysis of variance test (ANOVA) was used for comparisons between groups. The level of significance was considered 0.05. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the level of insulin and glucose in any groups. Insulin resistance in polycystic moderate intensity group compared to control PCOS group had a significant reduction (p=0.035). According to the results, it seems that aerobic exercise with moderate intensity and with reduction of insulin resistance can be considered as a non-pharmacological treatment method for recovery polycystic ovary syndrome patients.