Effect of 6 months of aerobic training on adipokines as breast cancer risk factors in postmenopausal women: A randomized controlled trial

Purpose: Physical activity has been introduced as an inexpensive and effective behavior to reduce postmenopausal breast cancer risk. Decreased concentrations of adipokines such as leptin and resistin may be a possible mechanism. This study aimed to investigate the effects of 6 months of aerobic training on leptin and resistin levels in postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods: The study participants were 50-74 years old, sedentary and postmenopausal women. Forty-one women met the inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to the training (n = 22) or the control group (n = 19). Participants in intervention group engaged in a moderate supervised aerobic training, 3 days per week for 6 months, while controls were asked not to change their physical activity levels for the duration of the trial. Plasma concentrations of leptin and resistin, aerobic fitness, and anthropometric measures were assessed at baseline and after 6 months. Results: Twenty-seven out of 41 participants completed the study. Plasma leptin decreased by 0.6% in exercisers and increased by 8.2% in controls; however, the exercise effect was not statistically significant. Plasma concentrations of resistin also decreased by 16.1% and 15.1% in exercise and control group, respectively. Aerobic fitness increased, and body mass index (BMI) decreased significantly in the intervention group. Conclusions: The exercise intervention did not have a statistically significant impact on the concentrations of the adipokines in question; however, this long-term aerobic training reduced BMI and body fat percentage and enhanced aerobic fitness. Thus, exercise programs can be considered as an effective behavioral modification in breast cancer prevention.