The Modifying Impact of Long-Term Endurance Training on Inflammatory Cytokine IL-1B Level and VO2max in Premenopausal Women with Abdominal Obesity

A growing body of literature suggests that obesity is associated with low-grade inflammation and is regarded as a major risk factor for chronic diseases, such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
The purpose of this study was to examine whether an endurance training program can affect the inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), in sedentary obese women.
Thirty sedentary obese women (30 ≤ BMI ≤ 36), aged 30 - 40 years, were selected through convenience and purposive sampling. They were then divided into exercise (n, 15) and control (n, 30) groups, based on random sampling using a table of random numbers. The exercise group received 3 months of supervised endurance training. Blood samples were obtained before and at the end of the program for measuring serum IL-1β level in the groups. Pre- and posttraining anthropometric indices, as well as maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) as an index of cardiovascular fitness, were also measured in the groups. Data were compared using independent paired t test.
The endurance training program resulted in a significant decline in body weight, abdominal obesity, and other anthropometric indices (P 0.05).
The increased level of serum IL-1β, as an inflammatory cytokine, could be attributed to weight loss or cardiovascular fitness due to endurance training in obese women.