Effects of 12-week circuit exercise program on obesity index, appetite regulating hormones, and insulin resistance in middle-aged obese females

[Purpose] The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of circuit exercise on obesity index, appetite regulating hormones and insulin resistance in middle-aged obese women. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects of this study were 26 obese middle-aged women who were selected among participants in exercise class at K Region Health Promotion Center in South Korea and were randomly assigned to the exercise group (n=13; age 50.15 ± 3.82, % body fat 38.79 ± 3.28) and the control group (n=13; age 49.84 ± 2.96, % body fat 37.46 ± 2.51). Circuit exercise consisted of aerobic exercise and resistance exercise for 5 weeks and 50 minutes for 12 weeks. Before and after exercise we measured obesity index, leptin, ghrelin, fasting blood glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance in all subjects. A repeated-measured two-way of variance was performed for comparison of the treatment effects between the exercise and control groups. [Results] Body weight, BMI, and body fat percentage of obese index decreased significantly. Leptin of dietary regulation hormone was significantly decreased and ghrelin was significantly increased. Insulin and insulin resistance was significantly decreased. [Conclusion] Circuit exercise can be viewed as an effective exercise program to induce changes in appetite regulating hormones and to improve insulin resistance by mechanisms of energy homeostasis by weight loss.