The Effect of 8 Weeks of Aerobic Exercise on Serum Levels of FGF21, Apolipoprotein A-1 and LDL-C to HDL-C Ratio in Obese Women

The aim of the present study was the effect of 8 weeks of aerobic exercise on serum levels of FGF21, Apolipoprotein A-1 and LDL-C to HDL-C ratio in obese women. 20 obese women (age 30.25 ± 1.97 yr, height 1.61 ± 0.06 m, weight 85.29 ± 6.67 kg, BMI 32.72 ± 1.91 kg/m2) were randomly divided into 2 groups: aerobic exercise and control. Subjects in the experimental group performed aerobic exercise at intensity of 60-75% target heart rate for 8 weeks, 3 days per week for 30-45 minutes. Analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to analyze the data. Significant difference at P˂0.05 was accepted. The results showed that serum levels of FGF21 in the exercise group significantly increased (P=0.008) after 8 weeks of exercise but this increase was not significant compared to the control group. Also, serum levels of APO A-1 significantly increased (P=0.021) in the exercise group after 8 weeks of exercise but this increase was not significant compared to the control group. The ratio of LDLC to HDL-C significantly reduced (P=0.011) after 8 weeks of aerobic exercise. It is possible that aerobic exercise can help prevent many diseases associated with obesity through a probable increase in FGF21 as well as a reduction in LDL-C to HDL-C ratio.