Differential Effects of Exercise Programs on Neuregulin 4, Body Composition and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Men With Obesity

Authors

Ayoub Saeidi, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran.
Sevda R. Shishvan, Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Soltani, Department of Biological Sciences in Sport, Faculty of Sports Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
Fatemeh Tarazi, Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran.
Patricia K. Doyle-Baker, Human Performance Lab, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Shahnaz Shahrbanian, Department of Sports Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
Shirin S. Mollabashi, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
Nikoo Khosravi, Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran.
Ismail Laher, Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Terence A. Moriarty, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC, United States.
Kelly E. Johnson, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, Coastal Carolina University, Myrtle Beach, SC, United States.
Trisha A. VanDusseldorp, Kennesaw State University
Hassane Zouhal, Laboratoire Mouvement, Sport, Santé - EA 1274, University Rennes, Rennes, France.

Department

Exercise Science and Sport Management

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2021

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Neuregulin 4 (Nrg4) is an adipokine that is sensitive to energy expenditure and with a potential role in metabolic homeostasis and obesity. This study examined the effects of 12 weeks of three different exercise training protocols on Nrg4 levels, cardiometabolic risk factors, and body composition parameters in men with obesity. METHODS: Sixty adult men with obesity (Mean ± SD; age: 27.60 ± 8.4 yrs.; height: 168.4 ± 2.6 cm; weight: 96.7 ± 7.2 kg) were randomly allocated into four equal ( = 15) groups: High- Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Circuit Resistance Training (CRT), Moderate Intensity Continuous Training (MICT) or a control group. The HIIT protocol involved six bouts of 3-min high-intensity exercise (90% VO ) followed by 3-min low-intensity exercise (50% VO ). The CRT group performed three circuits of resistance training, where each circuit included 11 exercises at 20% of one-repetition maximum (1RM) and 70% of VO , and with a work-to-rest ratio of 2:1 (40-s exercise and 20-s rest) and 60-s recovery between circuits. The MICT group performed 36 min of exercise at 70% of VO . All measurements were taken 72 h before and after the first and last training sessions. RESULTS: There were significant differences between the groups in fat-free mass (FFM), (effect size (ES): 0.78), fat mass (ES: 0.86), VO (ES: 0.59), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (ES: 0.83), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) (ES: 0.79), total cholesterol (TC) (ES: 0.90), triglyceride (TG) (ES: 0.52) glucose (ES: 0.39), insulin (ES: 0.61), HOM-IR (ES: 0.91) and Nrg4 (ES: 0.98) ( < 0.05). There were no significant changes in very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) (ES: 0.13) levels, or body weights (ES: 0.51) ( > 0.05). Levels of Nrg4 were negatively correlated with LDL-C, TC, TG, VLDL-C, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR ( < 0.05) and positively with HDL-C ( < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that HIIT and CRT protocols have greater effects than MICT protocol on Nrg4 levels, metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors, and body composition variables in men with obesity.

Journal Title

Frontiers in physiology

Journal ISSN

1664-042X

Volume

12

First Page

797574

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.3389/fphys.2021.797574