Effects of concurrent exercise on cardiometabolic status during perimenopause: the FLAMENCO Project

Anaerobic and aerobic contributions to repeated supramaximal cycling exercises and their adaptation to high-intensity interval training in obese perimenopausal and postmenopausal women

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated the anaerobic and aerobic contributions to total energy release during repeated supramaximal cycling exercises (SCE) and their adaptation in response to 6 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in obese perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.

METHODS

Nineteen perimenopausal women and 21 postmenopausal women with an average age of 50.1 years participated in the 6-week HIIT intervention. Before and after the training, the accumulated oxygen deficits (mL·min -1 ) and anaerobic and aerobic contributions (%) were measured in all groups via repeated SCE.

RESULTS

The results showed that, before training, the anaerobic contributions to repeated SCE did not differ between the perimenopausal and postmenopausal women for the first three repetitions. However, a higher decrease was reported for postmenopausal women at the fourth and fifth repetitions ( P < 0.01, respectively). After HIIT, anaerobic contributions increased significantly in both groups ( P < 0.01, respectively). Nevertheless, postmenopausal women still had significantly lower anaerobic contributions to repeated SCE compared with perimenopausal women ( P < 0.01, respectively). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that menopause status was an independent predictor of anaerobic contribution, accounting for 17%, 21%, 15%, 19%, and 22% of variations (β = 0.28, P = 0.03; β = 0.29, P = 0.04; β = 0.18, P = 0.05; β = 0.22, P = 0.05; and β = 0.33, P = 0.03 for the first to the fifth repetitions consecutively for perimenopausal vs postmenopausal groups).

CONCLUSIONS

A 6-week HIIT intervention increased the anaerobic contributions to energy in response to repeated SCE in obese perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. However, postmenopausal women had lower anaerobic contributions at the fourth and fifth repetitions mainly due to the effects of menopause.

Long-term effects of different exercise training modes on cytokines and adipokines in individuals with overweight/obesity and cardiometabolic diseases: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of randomized controlled trials

The present study aimed to investigate the evidence on the effects of different long-term training interventions (aerobic [AeT], resistance [RT], and combined [COMB]) and spontaneous physical activity (PA) in modifying cytokines and adipokines in individuals with overweight or obesity with or without cardiometabolic diseases while considering potential confounders. Although exercise interventions have become a potentially effective tool for preventing and treating metabolic diseases, the evidence provided by previous systematic reviews is inconclusive since several potential confounders have yet to be addressed. Therefore, we conducted a systematic literature search in Medline, Cochrane, and Embase databases from January 2000 to July 2022 and performed a meta-analysis. Inclusion criteria retrieved 106 full texts comprising 8,642 individuals with a range BMI of 25.1-43.8 kg m^-2 . We found that independently of the training mode, exercise had a beneficial effect on diminishing Adiponectin, C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-6, IL-18, IL-20, Leptin, sICAM, and TNF-α levels circulating levels. Furthermore, by subsequent analysis, we detected differential effects of AeT, RT, and COMB, with sex, age, body composition, and trial length acting as moderators. The comparison of training modes revealed a difference favoring COMB over AeT for regulating the increase in CRP with no differences in the remaining biomarkers. Meta-regression analysis revealed an effect of change in maximal oxygen uptake (VO_2max ) on CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α, while IL-10 was influenced by the change in body fat. The results suggest that all interventions, except PA, are effective in lessening this population's inflammatory status, provided that exercise results in an increase of VO_2max .

The Effects of Exercise Training on Recovery of Biochemical and Hematological Outcomes in Patients Surviving COVID-19: A Randomized Controlled Assessor-Blinded Trial

BACKGROUND

No previous research has investigated the direct effects of exercise interventions on COVID-19 outcomes. The aim is to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of home-based moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), resistance training (RT), and combined aerobic and resistance training (CET) on biochemical and hematologic markers associated with COVID-19 symptoms and severity in COVID-19 survivors.

METHODS

A total of 547 male and female COVID-19 survivors were screened, and 296 (aged 20-93 years) were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to one of four groups: MICT (n = 74), RT (n = 74), CET (n = 74), or non-exercise (NON-EX, n = 74). Blood samples were taken at baseline, at week 4, and week 8 after training.

RESULTS

After the intervention, compared with the NON-EX group, all 3 MICT, RT, and CET interventions caused significant improvements in the levels of creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein (CRP), troponin-I, d-dimer, creatinine, urea, potassium (K), sodium (Na), white blood cell (WBC), neutrophils, lymphocytes, red blood cells (RBC), platelets, hemoglobin, and hematocrit concentrations (P < 0.05). CET was effectively superior to MICT and RT in the improvements in the biochemical and hematological variables studied (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, the present study demonstrates that long-term MICT plus RT interventions have a synergistic effect in accelerating and enhancing the recovery in patients surviving COVID-19. Trial registration IRCT20160605028270N3, 6 September 2020.

Concurrent training and interindividual response in women with a high number of metabolic syndrome risk factors

The non-responders (NRs) after exercise training have been poorly studied in populations with morbid obesity. The purpose of this study was to determine the NR prevalence after 20 weeks of concurrent training of morbidly obese women with a high or low number of metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk factors. Twenty-eight women with morbid obesity participated in an exercise training intervention and were allocated into two groups distributed based on a high (≥3, n = 11) or low number (<3, n = 17) of MetS risk factors. The main outcomes were waist circumference (WC), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), high-density lipids (HDL-c), triglycerides (Tg), and systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, and secondary outcomes were body composition, anthropometric and physical fitness, determined before and after 20 weeks of concurrent training. NRs were defined as previously used technical error cut-off points for the MetS outcomes. Significantly different (all p < 0.05) prevalences of NRs between the H-MetS vs. L-MetS groups (respectively) in WC (NRs 18.2 % vs. 41.1 %, p < 0.0001), SBP (NRs 72.7 % vs. 47.0 %, p = 0.022), DBP (NRs 54.5 % vs. 76.4 %, p < 0.0001), FPG (NRs 100% vs. 64.8 %, p < 0.0001), and HDL-c (NRs 90.9 % vs. 64.7 %, p = 0.012) were observed. In addition, the H-MetS group evidenced significant changes on ΔSBP (−10.2 ± 11.4 mmHg), ΔFPG (−5.8 ± 8.2 mg/dl), ΔHDL-c (+4.0 ± 5.9 mg/dl), and ΔTg (−8.8 ± 33.8 mg/dl), all p < 0.05. The L-MetS group only showed significant changes in ΔWC (−3.8 ± 5.0 cm, p = 0.009). Comparing H-MetS vs. L-MetS groups, significant differences were observed in ∆FPG (−5.8 ± 8.2 vs. +0.3 ± 3.2 mg/dl, p = 0.027), but not in other MetS outcomes. In conclusion, 20 weeks of concurrent training promotes greater beneficial effects in morbidly obese patients with a high number of MetS risk factors. However, the NR prevalence for improving MetS outcomes was significantly superior in these more-diseased groups in SBP, FPG, and HDL-c, independent of their major training-induced effects.

Plasma Ceramides Pathophysiology, Measurements, Challenges, and Opportunities

Ceramides are a family of lipid molecules, composed of sphingosine and a fatty acid, and transported by lipoproteins (primarily by low-density lipoproteins) in the bloodstream. They are not only structural lipids, but multifunctional and bioactive molecules with key roles in many important cellular pathways, such as inflammatory processes and apoptosis, representing potential biomarkers of cardiometabolic diseases as well as pharmacological targets. Recent data reported ceramide modulation by diet and aerobic exercise, suggesting nutrients and exercise-targeting sphingolipid pathways as a countermeasure, also in combination with other therapies, for risk and progression of chronic disease prevention and health maintenance. In this review, we focus on the available data regarding remarks on ceramide structure and metabolism, their pathophysiologic roles, and the effect of dietary habit and aerobic exercise on ceramide levels. Moreover, advancements and limitations of lipidomic techniques and simplification attempts to overcome difficulties of interpretation and to facilitate practical applications, such as the proposal of scores, are also discussed.

Comparison of performance and health indicators between perimenopausal and postmenopausal obese women: the effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT)

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the effects of 6 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on performance and health indicators in obese perimenopausal (PERIM) women and similarly aged and older postmenopausal women (POSTM1 and POSTM2, respectively).

METHODS

Sixteen PERIM women (average age 49.6 y), 21 POSTM1 women (average age 50.6 y), and 19 POSTM2 women (average age 69.6 y) completed a 6-week HIIT intervention. Anthropometric parameters, mechanical efficiency (ME in %), lipid oxidation (LO in %), and low and high spectral frequencies (LF[ms2] and HF[ms2]) were computed pre- and postintervention.

RESULTS

PERIM women showed a significantly higher VO2max preintervention compared to POSTM1 and 2 (P < 0.01). Moreover, HF, LF, and the LF/HF ratio differed significantly in PERIM women preintervention compared to POSTM1 and 2 (P < 0.01, respectively). After 6 weeks, a significant decrease in anthropometric variables was observed for all groups (P < 0.01). The VO2max in mL/kg/min increased for all groups (P < 0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that age contributed significantly to differences in VO2max values between groups preintervention (r = 0.72). This model accounted for 34% (r2 = 0.34) of the variation. On the other hand, menopause status was an independent predictor of LO, accounting for 38% of the variation, as well as of HF (33%), LF (29%), and the LF/HF ratio (24%). After HIIT, no age or menopause effect was detected for these independent variables.

CONCLUSIONS

Maximal oxygen consumption, HF, LF, and the LF/HF ratio differ among women according to the menopausal status and age. A 6-week HIIT intervention improved many health and performance parameters and reduced the effects of menopause and age.