Effects of large exercise-induced weight loss on insulin sensitivity and metabolic risk factors in young males with obesity

<bold>Background: </bold>Obesity around the world is increasing at an alarming rate. One of the issues with obesity is whether exercise with large energy expenditure have any effect on obesity risk factors such as insulin resistance and coronary heart diseases.<bold>Methods: </bold>Twenty participants (mean age: 19.5 +/- 1.09 years) with Body Mass Index (BMI) of >30 kg/m(2), and body fat percentage (BF%) of >25% completed an institutionalized regimented training (IRT) for 16 weeks. 12-hour fasting blood samples were collected at least 48 hours after the last exercise session. Glucose and insulin variables were determined through an oral glucose tolerance test. Participants underwent 446 hours of IRT and ate from four standardized meal menus per day with a caloric intake of 3066 kcal.<bold>Results: </bold>IRT resulted in a significant weight loss of 13.48 +/- 1.97 kg. Pre- and Post-Training total cholesterol (4.80 +/- 0.92 vs. 4.12 +/- 0.82 mmol/L) (P<0.01), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (3.04 +/- 0.83 vs. 2.51 +/- 0.74 mmol/L) (P<0.01), triglycerides (1.19 +/- 0.57 vs. 0.74 +/- 0.30 mmol/L) (P<0.01) and apolipoprotein levels (Apo-A: 133.30 +/- 13.10 vs. 120.40 +/- 14.54 mg/dL; Apo-B: 88.08 +/- 25.72 vs. 70.12 +/- 18.21 mg/dL) (P<0.01) were significantly reduced, and glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity were also improved.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Large exercise-induced weight loss can be achieved through IRT and may be a solution for weight loss for individuals with obesity to reduce obesity related complications.