Association between exercise-induced change in body composition and change in cardio-metabolic risk factors in post-menopausal South Asian women

The South Asian (SA) population suffers from a high prevalence of type 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). A unique obesity phenotype of elevated visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is associated with CVD risk among SA. Exercise-induced reduction in VAT and body fat is an effective mechanism to improve cardio-metabolic risk factors but this has not been shown in SA. Whether exercise-induced changes in measurements such as waist circumference (WC) are independently related to changes in cardio-metabolic risk factors in SA is unknown. Multi-slice computed tomography scanning was used to assess VAT, cardio-metabolic risk factors through a fasting blood sample and body fat using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Forty- nine post-menopausal South Asian women who participated in two 12-week aerobic exercise programs were included. Bivariate correlations were used to assess associations between change in cardio-metabolic risk factors and change in body composition. Regression analyses were conducted with change in glucose, insulin and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) as dependent variables and change in body composition as independent variables of interest. There were significant associations between changes in fasting insulin, glucose and HOMA-IR with change in VAT. The association between change in VAT and these cardio-metabolic risk factors was independent of change in other body composition variables of interest. South Asian women should be encouraged to engage in aerobic activity to reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes and CVD, and physicians should be aware of improvements in glucose regulation with exercise training not observed through reductions in WC.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author