Effects of aerobic exercise on serum leptin levels in obese women

It has been demonstrated that leptin concentrations in obese patients may b e altered by weight loss. We examined the effects of a 9-week aerobic exerc ise program on serum leptin concentrations in overweight women (20-50% abov e ideal body mass) under conditions of weight stability. Sixteen overweight women, mean (SE) age 42.75 (1.64) years, comprised the exercise group whic h adhered to a supervised aerobic exercise program. A graded exercise tread mill test was conducted before and after the exercise program to determine maximal oxygen uptake ((V)over dot O-2max) using open-circuit spirometry. T he women demonstrated improved aerobic fitness ((V)over dot O-2max increase d 12.29%), however, body fat and the body mass index did not change signifi cantly [42.27 (1.35)-41.87 (1.33)%]. Fourteen women, age 40.57 (2.80) years , did not exercise over the same time period and served as a control group. Serum leptin levels were not significantly altered for either the exercise [28.00 (2.13)-31.04 (2.71) ng . ml(-1)] or the control group [33.24 (3.78) -34.69 (3.14) ng . mg(-1)]. The data indicate that 9 weeks of aerobic exerc ise improves aerobic fitness, but does not affect leptin concentrations in overweight women.