Effect of Eight Weeks of Aerobic Aquatic and Land Exercise Training on Leptin, Resistin, and Insulin Resistance in Obese Women

Regular exercise has been shown to improve diabetes-related biological markers. However, for some groups, exercises that require weight bearing are difficult. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to compare the effect of eight weeks of aerobic aquatic and land exercise training on leptin, resistin, and insulin resistance in obese women. In the present randomized clinical trial, 30 obese women were randomly assigned to aquatic exercise, land exercise, and control groups (n=10) and 24 hours before and 48 hours after the intervention, blood samples were collected and glucose, insulin, leptin, resistin, and insulin resistance levels were measured. For statistical analysis, mixed analysis of variance was used. The results showed that eight weeks of aerobic aquatic or land exercise training resulted in significant decrease in insulin (P = 0.003), glucose (P = 0.001), insulin resistance (P = 0.001), and leptin (P = 0.001) in obese women, but not in resistin. Weight, BMI, and fat percentage of participants significantly decreased in training groups (P = 0.001). There was no significant difference between the two types of exercises. The aquatic exercises appear to have the same effects as land exercises in reducing leptin and insulin resistance in obese women. Therefore, people who do not tolerate weight bearing during land exercises due to joint injuries or recommendations from orthopedic practitioners can benefit from aquatic exercises to improve diabetes-related indices.