ABSTRACT

          Background and Objective: The present study aims at investigating the possible effect of 8-week aerobic exercise on undercarboxylated osteocalcin and beta cell function in postmenopausal women.

         Methods: The study included 20 postmenopausal women with mean weight, height and body mass index of 78.94 ± 5.72 kg, age 48.69 ± 3.21 years, 160.37 ± 4.12 cm and 30.72 ± 2.37 kg/m2. The participants were randomly selected and divided into experimental and control groups. Blood samples were taken 48 hours before the experiment and after eight weeks of exercise. Aerobic exercise was performed for eight weeks, three sessions per week with intensity of 65-70% of heart rate. Data analysis for intragroup and intergroup differences was done using paired and independent t-test, respectively. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.            

         Results: The level of undercarboxylated osteocalcin in the experimental group decreased significantly compared to control group (P<0.049). The level of beta cell function index in the experimental group increased significantly after the 8-week exercise program compared to  control group (P<0.014).

         Conclusion: Exercise increases the level of undercarboxylated osteocalcin in postmenopausal women that has important consequences, especially for those at risk of developing diabetes.

            Keywords: Exercise, Osteocalcin, Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated, Postmenopause.

Background and objectives: It has been suggested that concurrent training (CT) improves both health and performance during aging. However, possible effects of CT order have not been evaluated in menopausal women. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate effects of CT order on follistatin, physical fitness factors and functional capacity of postmenopausal women.
   Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 33 healthy, sedentary, postmenopausal women were divided into three groups of endurance training-resistance training (ET+RT; n=11), resistance training-endurance training (RT+ET; n=10) and control (C; n= 12).  The training exercises were performed three times a week for eight weeks.
   Results: Weight and body fat percentage did not differ significantly between the groups (P>0.05). Muscular strength, endurance and aerobic capacity increased significantly in both training groups (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the effects of the training orders. There was a significant time × group interaction regarding the follistatin levels after the CT intervention. However, there was no significant difference in the follistatin levels between the groups.
   Conclusion: Based on the results, the order of eight weeks of CT training does not significantly affect body fat percentage, physical fitness factors and functional capacity of postmenopausal women. However, the percentage changes in the mentioned variables are higher in the ET+RT exercise order.