The Effect of 12 weeks of aerobic training on lung function and serum leptin levels in obese men

Background & Adipose tissue have an important role in inducing lung dysfunction through production and secretion of adipokins such as leptin. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a period of aerobic training on lung function indices and serum leptin levels in obese men. Twenty three overweight and obese subjects were randomly assigned to aerobic training (obese EX, n = 12) (45.26±2.45 yr, body mass index (BMI) 31.81±0.77 kg/m2) and control (obese CON, n = 11) (47.03±3.36 yr, body mass index (BMI) 31.45±0.96 kg/m2) groups. Another control group (n = 9) was sampled from normal weighed individuals to compare at the base level (45.1±4.1 yr, body mass index (BMI) 24.63±0.45 kg/m2). The obese EX group participated in 12 weeks of progressive aerobic training 3 sessions a week. Body composition (CT scan), serum leptin levels and lung (pulmonary) function were measured before and after training. At the baseline, the normal weight participants had significant lower serum leptin concentration and higher lung function compared with obese participants (P<0.05). Also, the results indicated that there is an inverse correlation between leptin and obesity with lung function indices (P<0.05). After the aerobic training, obesity and lung function indices were significantly improved (P<0.05). In contrast, serum leptin concentration was significantly decreased after the aerobic training program (P<0.05). Aerobic exercise improves indices of obesity and lung function in obese men which is associated with reduced levels of leptin.