The Effect of 8 Weeks of Selected Aerobic Activity on Changes in Some Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Non-Athlete Middle-Aged Overweight Women

Being overweight increases the levels of inflammatory proteins including C-reactive protein and resistin, resulting in systemic inflammation that inhibits lipid metabolism in skeletal muscle and increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of selected aerobic activity on changes in some cardiovascular risk factors in overweight non-athlete middle-aged women. 30 non-athlete middle-aged women (mean age 46.06 ± 6.97 years, weight 71.82 ± 9.11 kg, height 156.9 ± 5.24 cm, body mass index 29.2 ± 4.11 k/m2) voluntarily participated in this project and were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group then performed aerobic exercises (continuous running with moderate intensity) for 8 weeks. Blood samples were collected before and 24 hours after the end of the research protocol to measure the levels of C-reactive protein and resistin. Independent t test was used for intergroup comparisons and paired t test was used for within-group comparisons. The results showed no significant differences between experimental and control groups in C-reactive protein (P = 0.07) and resistin (P = 0.064) after 8 weeks of selected aerobic exercise. However, there was a significant decrease in weight (P = 0.001) and body mass index (P = 0.002) of the experimental group compared to the control group. Overall, the results of the present study showed that although the 8-week exercise program improved the body composition of overweight middle-aged women, longer periods of aerobic exercise are needed to achieve better biochemical results.