Effect of Aerobic Training on Serum Levels of WISP1 and TNF-α and Insulin Resistance in Obese Men with Type 2 Diabetes

Objectives Type 2 diabetes is associated with an increase in levels of inflammatory factors in the systemic circulation, which causes impaired insulin function. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of eight weeks of aerobic training on WISP1, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) in obese men with type 2 diabetes. Twenty-two obese men with type 2 diabetes (Age: 35.7± 4.9, BMI: 30.45± 2.35) volunteered to participate in the study and divided into two groups of training and control based on their fasting blood glucose levels. Subjects in training group performed eight weeks of aerobic training at intensity of 70 percent of maximum heart rate, three sessions per week and 45-50 minutes per session. Blood samples were collected before and 48 hours after training protocol to measure the blood factors assessed. Statistical analysis was done by two way analysis of variance, paired t-test and Pearson correlation at significant level of P<0.05. Eight weeks of aerobic training resulted in significant decreases in the serum levels of WISP1 (P=0.002), TNF-α (P<0.001) and insulin (P=0.001), fasting blood glucose (P=0.004), HOMA-IR (P=0.001), body weight (P<0.001), and body mass index (BMI) (P<0.001) in post-test compared to the pre-test . Moreover, there existed significant differences between training group compared to control group for serum levels of WISP1 (P=0.007), TNF-α (P=0.02) and insulin, (P=0.01), HOMA-IR (P=0.018), body weight (P<0.001) and BMI (P<0.001). Additionally, there were significant correlation between changes in serum levels of WISP1 following eight weeks of aerobic training and HOMA-IR (P=0.043). It seems that aerobic training improves insulin resistance in obese men with type 2 diabetes through modulating pro-inflammatory cytokines such as WISP1 and TNF-α.