Effects of aerobic, resistance, and combined exercise training on body fat and glucolipid metabolism in inactive middle-aged adults with overweight or obesity: a randomized trial

Twenty inactive males (BMI 27.67 ± 0.88 kg/m2, age 49.15 ± 2.58 years) participated in an eight-week were randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups (combined (CT), resistance (RT), and aerobic (AT)) exercise modalities to assess within-subject and between group changes in glycolipid profile. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANCOVA. Pre-post mean values of body fat percentage (%BF), area under the curve (AUC), low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL) and total cholesterol (TC) decreased in all three groups. The main effect of exercise modality on the AUC (F (2, 26) = 10.577, P = 0.001, η2 = 0.569) was significant. Post-hoc analyses revealed that the RT group (-30.653 ± 6.766, p = 0.001) with 11.53% and the CT group (M = -0.896, SE = 3.347, P = 0.015) with 3.79% exhibited significantly greater reductions in AUC compared to the AT group. LDL levels showed significant different between groups (F (2, 26) = 6.33, p = 0.009, η2 = 0.442), specially significantly 3.7% lowered in AT (MD = 4.783, SE = 1.563, P = 0.002) and 3.79% lower in CT (MD = 4.57, SE = 1.284, P = 0.008) groups compared to the RT group. AT significantly reduced TC by 17.716 ± 5.705 mg/dL (p = 0.02) compared to RT, representing a 7.97% decrease. Exercise type significantly influences lipid profiles and glycemic control. Notably, both aerobic and combined training demonstrated a superior ability to modulate the lipid profile, and resistance training and combined training were more effective in reducing the AUC. May, 31st 2024. Registration no: PACTR202405463745521 “Retrospectively registered”.