Journal of Ergonomics

Introduction: Leptin, generated by the obesity gene, acts as an anti-obesity hormone that plays a key role in regulating weight. We aimed to investigate the effects of eight weeks of selected aerobic training on serum leptin levels, anthropometric indices and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) in obese men.

Methods: Twenty healthy elderly men were selected by convenience sampling method and were randomly assigned to control (n = 10) and experimental (n = 10) groups. The program training included 45 minutes per session, three times per week for eight weeks of participation in aerobic exercise classes with 55-60% HRR. Pre- and post-aerobic exercise, serum leptin levels, anthropometric indices and VO2max were evaluated. To make intra and intergroup comparisons, t-test for dependent and independent samples were used. For all statistical comparisons, the level of significance was set at P < 0.05.

Results: Eight weeks of aerobic exercise led to a significant increase of Vo2max (P = 0.01). The amount of leptin (P = 0.007), weight (P = 0.002), BMI (P = 0.003), body fat percentage (P = 0.002) and WHR (P = 0.013) in sedentary obese men in the experimental group significantly reduced. The variations of weight, BMI, BFP, WHR and Vo2max in the two groups had differences.

Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the selected aerobic training had a favorable influence on improvement of serum leptin levels and VO2max in obese men.