Abstract

Introduction: Menopause is accompanied by hormonal variation and reduction in insulin sensitivity. Increase in body fat mass, which is followed by aging causes adiponectin decrement and higher insulin resistance in postmenopausal women. The purpose of this study was the evaluate of adiponectin and insulin resistance changes after a water training program in obese postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods: Twenty obese postmenopausal women (BMI>30 kg/m2), selected to participate in this study, were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group performed selective resistance and aerobic water training for 3 months at 65-75% of MHR 45 min per session, whereas the control group did not participate in any exercise program during the study period. Blood samples were collected for assay of research variables, before and after exercise regimen. Plasma adiponectin and insulin were analyzed using commercially available ELISA kits. FBS measured by the enzymatic calorimetric method and insulin resistance was calculated with the HOMA-IR equation. Results: Data analysis showed that water training enhanced adiponectin concentrations in the experimental group (P<0.05). Also there was significant decrease in glucose and insulin resistance in the experimental group, compared to the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Based on the study results it seems that selective resistance and aerobic water training, due to involvement of greater muscle mass and exposure to dynamic pressure on the bones and muscles, leads to higher energy expenditure, higher levels of adiponectin concentration and decrease in insulin resistance in obese postmenopausal women.