The Effect of Aerobic Activity on Changes in Cystatin C and HomocysteineLevels as Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Chronic inflammation is associated with the development of various diseases,including atherosclerosis and diabetes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of longtermselected aerobic exercises on changes in cystatin C and homocysteine in inactive and overweightmiddle-aged women.

Thirty non-athlete middle-aged women (mean age: 46.06±6.97 years, weight:71.82±9.11 kg, height: 156.9±5.24 cm, and body mass index: 29.2±4.11kg/m2) voluntarily participatedin this project and were randomly divided into the experimental and control groups The experimentalgroup performed selected aerobic exercises (65-75% of maximum heart rate) for eight weeks. Bloodsamples were taken before and 24 hours after the completion of the research protocol to measure thelevels of cystatin C and homocysteine. Analysis of covariance was used for intergroup comparisons andpaired t-test was used for intergroup comparisons.

The results showed that there was no significant difference between the experimental and controlgroups in cystatin C (P=0.09) and homocysteine (P=0.07) after eight weeks of selected aerobic exercises.A significant decrease was observed in weight (P=0.001) and body mass index (P=0.002) in theexperimental group compared to the control group.

Overall, the results of the present study showed that although the eight-week activity programimproved the body composition of overweight middle-aged women, longer periods of aerobicexercise are required to examine clearer biochemical results.