The Effect of Eight Weeks Functional Exercise Training and Low Carbohydrate Diet on The Levels of Adiponectin, CRP and Lipid Profile in Overweight Women

Exercise training and a low-carbohydrate diet have shown favorable effects on inflammatory cytokines. This study examines the combined impact of an eight-week functional exercise training program and a low-carbohydrate (LC) diet on adiponectin, CRP, and lipid profiles in overweight women.

Forty-eight overweight women, aged 25-35, were randomly selected for the intervention and allocated into control (n=12), LC diet (n=12), training (n=12), and training+ LC diet (n=12) groups. Functional training, conducted three times weekly for eight weeks at 50-80 percent of maximum heart rate, was paired with an LC diet restricting carbohydrate intake to 50g/d. Blood samples collected before and 48 hours after the final session were analyzed for adiponectin and CRP levels using the ELISA method. Data were analyzed using SPSS software with analysis of covariance and Bonferroni post hoc tests.

Adiponectin levels did not significantly change following the eight-week interventions (p=0.135). However, CRP levels significantly decreased in the LC diet group compared to the control group (p=0.003). Cholesterol, LDL, and triglyceride levels significantly decreased in all experimental groups compared to the control group (p<0.05), while HDL levels significantly increased in the LC diet (p=0.009) and training+ LC diet (p=0.001) groups compared to the control group.

The study underscores the positive impact of LC diet and functional training, either alone or in combination, on improving lipid profiles. However, there seems to be no synergistic effect of LC diet with functional training on changing CRP and adiponectin levels.