Effects of aerobic training on serum leptin levels and iron status in obese women

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of aerobic training on serum leptin levels and iron status in obese women. Twenty eight obese women were volunteered and randomly divided into two groups: aerobic training (n = 14، age 37. 1 ± 4. 9 yr، weight 82. 0 ± 10. 2 kg، body mass index 34. 2 ± 4. 3 kg/m2) and controls ((n = 14، age 37. 5 ± 5. 3 yr، weight 79. 9 ± 9. 5 kg، body mass index 34. 0 ± 3. 9 kg/m2). Subjects in the experimental group performed the aerobic training program for 9 weeks (4 sessions per week) with 65-75% of maximum heart rate. Before and after the training period، blood samples of all subjects were taken in fasting. The data were analyzed using an independent-T test and ANCOVA. Results showed no significant differences in serum leptin levels between the groups (P<0. 05). But aerobic exercises caused a significant increase in serum iron and a significant decrease in serum ferritin in the experimental group compared with the control group (P<0. 05). Furthermore، the other indicators of iron status including transferrin iron binding capacity (TIBC)، hemoglobin، hematocrit، MCH، MCHC، and MCV showed no significant difference between the two groups (P<0. 05). According to the results، we can say that aerobic training does not have a significant effect on serum leptin levels، but it can improve poor iron status in obese women. This improvement is probably due to the influence of other factors that has no relationship to serum leptin levels.