Exercise training versus diet-induced weight-loss on metabolic risk factors and inflammatory markers in obese subjects: a 12-week randomized intervention study.

Description

In this study, the authors sought to investigate independent and combined effects of exercise and weight loss on inflammatory markers in circulation, in adipose tissue and in skeletal muscle of obese subjects. Seventy-nine obese subjects were randomized into a 12-week intervention. The first group was assigned to exercise only (EXO), the second group was prescribed a diet-induced weight loss using a very low energy diet (DIO), and the third group was asked to participate to an exercise and a diet-induced weight loss (DEX) program. The results showed an overall decrease in the circulating proinflammatory markers in response to marked weight loss (11%) in the two diet restriction groups, but there was no additional effect of exercise on the inflammatory profile. Among the emerging inflammatory markers related to obesity, the authors found that macrophage inflammatory protein-1 (MIP-1) and interleukin (IL)-15 were significantly reduced in the DIO and DEX groups, with no effect in the EXO group. In addition, no associations between IL-15 and measures of fat distribution were found. Moreover, they observed no evidence of an exercise-induced anti-inflammatory effect in skeletal muscle tissue. Therefore, the exercise-induced improvements in metabolic complications do not include the inflammatory profile which is in contrast with the beneficial effects of diet-induced weight loss observed in inflammatory markers.