Abstract

Background. Menopause and aging affect the health of obese women, provoking accumulation of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and inflammation. Obesity leads to major health problems, which increase the risk of debilitating diseases that lead to death. Thus, loss of weight and VAT are primary goals of treatment through modifications of dietary habits and exercise. Purpose of the study. This study was conducted to determine which is more effective on interleukin- 6 (IL-6) levels for obese post-menopausal women, whole body vibration training (WBVT) or high intensity interval training (HIIT). Subjects and methods. 45 post-menopausal obese women diagnosed with higher level of IL-6, their body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m2 and waist/hip ratio (W/H ratio) > 0.8 participated at this study. Women were divided randomly into 3 equal groups in numbers; Group (A) followed low caloric diet (1200 Cal), Group (B) received WBVT and Group (C) received HIIT. Both groups (B & C) followed the same low caloric diet as group (A). Evaluation was done before and after 3 months of treatment, through measuring weight, BMI, waist as well as hip circumferences, W/H ratio and IL-6 levels. Results. The three groups revealed statistically significant improvements (P < 0.05) in all parameters after treatment compared to baseline. Also, there were statistically differences between the 3 groups after treatment, with the group (B) more favorable than groups (A & C). Conclusion. WBVT is more effective than HIIT on reducing inflammation via reducing IL-6 level in obese post-menopausal women.

Key words:

obesity, menopause, whole body vibration exercise, high intensity interval training, interleukin-6