Exercise Decreases the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome in Elderly Females

KEMMLER, W., S. VON STENGEL, K. ENGELKE, and W. A. KALENDER. Exercise Decreases the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome in Elderly Females. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 297-305, 2009. Purpose: To determine the effect of exercise based oil a multiple purpose, high-intensity philosophy on parameters of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in older females with the MetS. Methods: Thirty-two women (68.7 +/- 3.4 yr) with the MetS according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) took part in the exercise training (EG), and 33 females (69.5 +/- 4.3 yr) also with MetS served as control group (CG). Beside the diagnostic tools of the MetS (waist circumference, triglycerides, HDL-C, blood pressure, and glucose), corresponding anthropometric parameters, total cholesterol, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were determined. Results: After 12 months of exercise, significant effects were observed for total body fat [EG: -1287 g vs CG: +484 g; P = 0.001; confidence interval (CI) = -2787 to -744 g], trunk fat (- 1070 vs -203 g; P = 0.005; CI = - 1460 to -274 g), hip circumference (-2.1 vs +1.0 cm; P = 0.001; CI = -4.8 to - 1.3 cm), triglycerides: (-24.1 vs -0.3 mg-dL(-1); P = 0.021; CI = -43.9 to -3.7 mg.dL(-1)), total cholesterol: (-19.8 vs +0.2 mg.dL(-1); P = 0.008; CI = -34.6 to -5.5 mg.dL(-1)), and HDL-C: (+3.8 vs -0.2 mg.dL(-1); P = 0.036; CI = 0.3 to 7.6 mg.dL(-1)). Waist circumference slightly decreased in both groups (EG: -0.7% vs CG: -0.6%; P = 0.94). Resting systolic (-7.1 vs -6.4 mm Hg; P = 0.84) and diastolic (-8.0 vs -+9.8 mm Hg; P = 0.39) blood pressure significantly decreased in both groups. Changes of glucose and hsCRP did not significantly vary between groups (glucose: +0.7 vs +1.0 mg.dL(-1), P = 0.88; hsCRP: -0.68 vs -0.50 mg.L-1, P = 0.36). The number of criteria of the MetS significantly decreased in the EG (4.13-3.66) and slightly decreased in the CG (4.12-3.97); however, significant time group interactions were not observed (P = 0.15; CI = -0.74 to 0.12). Conclusion: Our multipurpose exercise program significantly affects most parameters of the MetS in elderly women.