The Relationship between Serum Levels of Alpha and Beta Salusins and Lipid Profile, Insulin Resistance, Cardio-Respiratory Fitness and the Effect of Interval Training with Different Intensities in Overweight/Obese Women

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum levels of salusins and lipid profile, insulin resistance, cardio-respiratory fitness, body composition and body fat percentage after a period of selected interval training with different intensities in overweight/obese women. In this study, 40 sedentary women were divided into 3 homogeneous groups purposively: control (BMI=30.2±2.8 kg/m2, n=14), moderate-intensity interval training: 75-80% HRmax (BMI=31.2±3.3 kg/m2, n=13), and high-intensity interval training: 90-95% HRmax (BMI=30.19±3.4 kg/m2, n=13). The subjects of experimental groups participated in the interval training (pedaling) with different intensities for 8 weeks. Blood samples were collected 48 hours before the first training session and 48 hours after the last training session. The research variables were measured under similar conditions. Pearson correlation coefficient test was used to statistically analyze the data (P<0.05). The findings revealed significant positive relationships between salusin β levels and total cholesterol, salusin α and HDL and salusin α and cardio-respiratory fitness; there was a significant reverse relationship between salusin α and body fat percentage. It seems that interval training with different intensities can influence the improvement of cardio fitness and general health of obese individuals. Since there is a considerable relationship between the intensity of interval training and the improvement of cardio-respiratory fitness, insulin resistance and lipid profile, high-intensity interval training is recommended to improve well-being of this group of people.