Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training with Caloric Restriction Reduces Insulin Resistance in Obese Premenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background and Objectives: Obese premenopausal women are at high risk of developing insulin resistance (IR). Concurrent aerobic and strength training (CAST) has been shown to provide remarkable advantages, yet its effects, along with caloric restriction in such a high-risk population, are not yet established. This study aimed to investigate the impact of concurrent aerobic and strength training with caloric restriction (CAST-CR) on IR in obese premenopausal women. Materials and Methods: Forty-two obese premenopausal women with reported IR, aged 40-50 years, were randomly allocated to either the (CAST-CR) intervention group, who underwent CAST with caloric restriction, or the (AT-CR) control group, who received aerobic training in addition to caloric restriction. Both groups completed 12 weeks of controlled training with equivalent training time. Aerobic training began at 60% and gradually progressed to achieve 75% of the maximum heart rate, while strength training was executed at 50% to 70% of the one-repetition maximum (1RM). Anthropometric measures, abdominal adiposity, metabolic parameters, and homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were evaluated prior to and following the intervention. Results: Both groups experienced a substantial enhancement in the selected parameters compared to the baseline (p < 0.001), with higher improvement within the CAST-CR group. The changes in HOMA-IR were -1.24 (95%CI, -1.37 to -1.12) in the CAST-CR group vs. -1.07 (95%CI, -1.19 to -0.94) in the AT-CR group. Conclusions: While AT-CR improved insulin sensitivity in premenopausal women who were obese and hyperinsulinemic, CAST with calorie restriction improved insulin sensitivity more significantly, suggesting it as a preferable alternative.

Aerobic Exercise with Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay Diet Promotes Brain Cells' Longevity despite Sex Hormone Deficiency in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To investigate the combined impact of aerobic exercise and Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet on brain cells longevity in spite of sex hormones deficiency in obese postmenopausal women. Design: A parallel randomized clinical trial. Subjects/Patients. Sixty-eight eligible postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to one of two groups, one experimental and one control. The participants' age ranged from 60 to 75 years, and their body mass index ranged from 30 to 39.9 kg/m2. Methods: An experimental group whose members followed moderate-intensity treadmill exercise three times/week for three months with MIND diet and a control group whose members followed the MIND diet only. In addition to serum sex hormones, pre- and post-12-week assessments were performed to measure serum sex hormones as well as cognitive and functional levels. Results: The experimental group showed after intervention highly significant changes (p < 0.01) in sex hormones, cognitive functions, and functional levels compared with the control group (p < 0.05). In addition, no correlation was found between the measured variables in both groups after intervention (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Aerobic exercise combined with the MIND diet improves cognitive and functional levels and substitutes sex hormones deficiency in postmenopausal women, which affects the longevity of brain health.

Aerobic exercise with diet induces hormonal, metabolic, and psychological changes in postmenopausal obese women.

Physical activity and diet are recommended lifestyle strategies to improve human health. Consequently, this study aimed to investigate the impact of aerobic exercise combined with dietary restriction on hormonal, metabolic, and psychological variables in postmenopausal women. Eligible 60 women were enrolled and assigned into two equal groups; the experimental group performed aerobic exercise three times per week for 12 weeks with diet restriction, and the control group only received the same diet program. Serum levels of sex hormones, insulin resistance, and depression scores were measured before and after the intervention. Results: All measured variables were significantly changed in the experimental group compared to the control group (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Changes in sex hormones are a biological marker of metabolic complications such as insulin resistance, which can be reduced with exercise and diet. In addition, they are effective therapeutic interventions in the treatment of mild depression. Trial registration: Registration identifier number of this study is: NCT05136742 on https://register.ClinicalTrials.gov.