Does a Course of Aerobic Training Affect the Inflammatory Status and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors of Hookah-smoker Women? Results of a Cross-sectional Study.

Background: Hookah consumption is a major risk factor for inflammation and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of two-month aerobic training on metabolic profile and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in hookah-smoker women. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design, 22 hookah-smoker women (at least twice a week) matched in terms of age (27.82 ± 3.81 years) and body mass index (BMI) (26.66 ± 5.92 kg/m2) were recruited and randomly divided into two groups of smokers + aerobic exercise (n = 11) and smokers (n = 11). A matched control group of non-smoker women (n = 10, age: 27.11 ± 2.71 years, BMI: 26.20 ± 2.39 kg/m2) were also recruited for baseline comparison. The aerobic exercise program was performed three days a week, 35-50 minutes a day for 8 weeks. The smokers' group were asked to continue their normal lives. Serum levels of CRP and metabolic risk factors were measured before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Findings: At baseline, non-smoker participants had significantly better CRP level (P = 0.001) and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) (P = 0.020) than hookah-smoker women. After 8 weeks of aerobic exercise, no significant change was observed in the lipid profile of hookah-smoker women (P > 0.050). Simultaneously, body weight (P = 0.030), VO2max (P = 0.001), and CRP levels (P = 0.010) improved significantly in response to aerobic exercise. Conclusion: These findings suggest that a course of aerobic exercise program improves the aerobic fitness of hookah-smoker women. This improvement is associated with reduction of CRP without significant changes in plasma lipid profile.

Aerobic training mitigates the negative impact of diabetes on fertility.

Diabetes negatively affects the reproductive system. This present study investigated the effects of aerobic training on protamine 1 and 2 mRNA expression, sex hormones, antioxidant defence and sperm quality in diabetic rats. Thirty-six male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into three groups including diabetic training (DT) group, diabetic (D) group and control (C) group. Rats in DT were exercised 5 times per week for 8 weeks. Blood samples were collected for evaluation of sex hormones 48 h after the last training session. Also, the testes were removed and subjected to histological evaluation and semen analysis. Testicular mRNA expressions of protamines were determined by RT-qPCR. Protamines 1 and 2, and the ratio of protamine 1 to protamine 2 were significantly lower in DT and D groups compared with C group (p < 0.01). LH and testosterone levels were significantly lower in D group compared with DT and C group (p < 0.01). Malondialdehyde was significantly lower in DT and C groups compared with D group (p < 0.001). Sperm parameters were significantly lower in D group compared with C group (p < 0.01). Our findings suggest that aerobic training may mitigate the negative impact of diabetes on sex hormones, oxidative stress, protamine content and sperm parameters in male rats.

The Effect of Aerobic Training on Serum Levels of Adiponectin, Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis and Sperm Quality in Diabetic Rats.

PURPOSE: The present study aims to investigate the effects of aerobic training on adiponectin, sex hormones, and sperm parameters in Streptozotocin-Nicotinamide induced diabetic rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the experiment, 52 eight-week-old Sprague Dawley rats (200-250 g) were randomly assigned into three groups: healthy control, diabetic control, and diabetic aerobic training. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of nicotinamide solution and STZ solution. The aerobic training protocol was performed for ten weeks. Finally, blood serum was used to assess FSH, LH, testosterone and adiponectin levels. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test using SPSS-22 software at 0.05 level of significance. RESULTS: Results showed an increase in serum adiponectin levels in aerobic training group, which let to a significant difference between aerobic training group and diabetic control group (3.8±1.1 ?vs 1.6±0.6, P = .42). In addition, aerobic training caused significant increases in serum testosterone level and LH in diabetic aerobic training group, so that significant differences were observed between serum testosterone (5.7±2.3 vs 6.6±1.8, P = .117), LH (4.7±1 vs 5.6±2.8, P = .746) and FSH (5.9±5 vs 4.4±1, P = .596) of diabetic aerobic training group and healthy control group. Sperm parameters in the diabetic aerobic training group including sperm count (26±13.2 vs 11.7±5.7, P = .03, motility (40±6.5%vs 32.5±1.1%, P = .41) and viability (41.7±7.2% vs 29.78±16.2%, P = .000) presented significant differences compared to diabetic control group. CONCLUSION: Short term aerobic training can improve serum adiponectin levels and sperm parameters, including sperm count and sperm motility through increasing serum testosterone, LH and FSH levels in type 2 diabetic rats.

Impact of Four Week Swimming Exercise with Alpha-Tocopherol Supplementation on Fertility Potential in Healthy Rats.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 4 week intensive swimming exercise and alpha-tocopherol supplementation on testicular oxidative stress and spermatogenesis in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 40 male rats were randomly assigned to Control (C), Sham (S), Exercise (E) and Exercise + supplement (ES) groups. Exercise training performed for 4 weeks (1session/day, 6days/week). Each session included 180 minutes of swimming. In ES group, alpha-ocopherol was injected at a dose of 50 mg/kg/day. 48 hours after last training session, all rats were killed and gonads of them were removed from their body for histological and biochemical assays. All statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 16. P values less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: Total testicular antioxidant capacity increased significantly in E (P = .003) and ES groups (P = .001) whereas there was no significant difference between C and E group in testicle Malondialdehyde (a lipid peroxidation marker) level (P = .999) and spermatogenesis quality (P = .381). Testicle Malondialdehyde level decreased (P = .009) and spermatogenesis quality was improved significantly in ES group (P = .001). CONCLUSION: Alpha-tocopherol supplementation is effective in order to improve spermatogenesis process in athletes who exercise with high intensity.

The effect of exercise on urinary gamma-glutamyltransferase and protein levels in elite female karate athletes.

PURPOSE: Post exercise proteinuria and increased urinary Gamma-Glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels can be indicative of exercise-induced renal damage. The aim of this investigation is to study the effect of one session of intensive training on renal damage markers and compare their values to those 6 hours after training. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study with pre- and post-test design, 10 elite volunteer female athletes were selected and participated in one training session (2 hours). Urine samples were collected before training, one hour after training, and 6 hours after training. Urinary protein (Pr), creatinine (Cr), and GGT values were measured through laboratory methods and then Pr/Cr and GGT/Cr ratios were computed. RESULTS: There were significant differences between values of protein, GGT and Creatinine in the three sampling phases (P<0.05). However, no significant differences were observed between values for GGT/Cr and Pr/Cr ratio. There were significant differences between the mean values of Creatinine, protein and GGT within pre-exercise and 1 hour post-exercise and within 1 hour post-exercise and 6 hours post-exercise (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: It seems that a session of karate training does not result in renal damage and athletes can continue training after 6 hours.

Effects of intradialytic aerobic training on sleep quality in hemodialysis patients.

INTRODUCTION: Sleep disorders are common in hemodialysis patients. They can affect their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of aerobic training on sleep quality, inflammatory status, and serum leptin levels in hemodialysis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-eight men in the age range of 28 to 74 years who were on maintenance hemodialysis and had sleep problems were enrolled in this study. They were randomly assigned into control and training groups (14 patients in each group). Patients in the training group performed a 10- to 30-minute stationary cycling, 3 times a week, during the 1st two hours of every dialysis session, for 8 weeks. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Baecke questionnaire on physical activity were filled out for all participants. To assess serum leptin and C-reactive protein levels, blood samples were drawn before the beginning and at the end of the eighth week. RESULTS: At the end of the study, serum leptin and C-reactive protein levels were significantly reduced (P < .001 and P < .001, respectively). Furthermore, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores of the training group declined significantly after 8 weeks (P < .001). There was a positive correlation between sleep quality and serum levels of leptin and C-reactive protein (P = .03 and P = .04, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Aerobic exercise with moderate intensity during the first two hours of a dialysis session could improve sleep quality and inflammatory status of hemodialysis patients, which predicts morbidity, mortality, and quality of life. However, additional research is needed to confirm these effects.

Twelve-week aerobic training decreases chemerin level and improves cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight and obese men.

PURPOSE: The inflammatory state of adipose tissue in obese subjects may be the most important factor linking increased adipose tissue mass to insulin resistance. Chemerin is a newly discovered adipokine that plays an important role in macrophage infiltration into adipose tissue and may contribute to the development of inflammation and insulin resistance. We examined the effects of 12 weeks of aerobic training on serum chemerin levels in association with cardiovascular risk factors in overweight and obese males. METHODS: Twenty-one overweight and obese subjects [44.3 (±4.1 yrs, body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m(2)) were assigned to exercise training (obese EX, n= 11) and control (obese CON, n= 10) groups. The obese EX group participated in 12 weeks of progressive aerobic training 5 days a week. Serum chemerin, insulin resistance, lipid profiles, blood pressure, and body composition were all measured before and after the training. RESULTS: After the aerobic training, waist circumference (P=0.009), fat percent (P=0.03), visceral fat (P=0.03), subcutaneous fat (P=0.01), fasting glucose (P=0.01), insulin resistance (P=0.03), triglyceride (P=0.05), total cholesterol (P=0.04), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P=0.05) and systolic blood pressure (P=0.04) of participates were significantly decreased. Concurrently, serum chemerin concentrations were significantly decreased after aerobic program (P=0.02). CONCLUSION: Aerobic training caused an improvement in cardiometabolic risk factors in obese subjects, and this improvement was accompanied by decreased chemerin levels.