Article - Circuit training on oxidative stress and arterial health: a health promotion perspective for obese adult men.

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Take home message

• Circuit training appears to be an effective approach in improving oxidative load and vascular function in men with obesity.

Evidence category

A: Meta-analyses, position-stands, randomized-controlled trials (RCTs)

Summary review

Introduction

• Obesity is associated with oxidative stress, contributing to the increased risk of various chronic diseases.

• This study aimed to investigate the effects of circuit training (CT), which combines aerobic and resistance exercise, on oxidative stress and arterial stiffness in men with obesity.

Methods

• 12-week randomised controlled study, carried out in Korea, included 25 men with obesity (defined as BMI ≥ 25 kg/m²), aged 30-35 years and not engaged in physical exercise.

• The CT programme consisted of three supervised sessions per week with a heart rate at 60–80% of heart rate reserve. The control group had no exercise intervention.

• Outcome measures were anthropometrics, total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), oxidative stress index (OSI), nitric oxide (NO) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) before and after the 12-week intervention.

Results

• Men in the CT group completed 95% of the sessions.

• In the CT group, BMI dropped from 26.84 ± 1.57 to 25.77 ± 1.64 kg/m², p < 0.001, which was significantly more (p < 0.001) than the control group whose BMI stayed the same (baseline BMI 26.94 ± 1.90, end of trial 26.94 ± 2.15).

• TAS and NO increased and OSI decreased significantly more in the CT compared to the control group:

• TAS: 1707.69 ± 122.69 to 1850.77 ± 130.03 μmol/L, p < 0.001 (pre – post)/p < 0.001 (CT vs control).

• NO: 40.95 ± 7.05 to 44.71 ± 6.16 μmol/L, p < 0.05 (pre-post)/p < 0.05 (CT vs control); OSI: 0.23 ± 0.04 to 0.20 ± 0.04, p < 0.05 (pre-post)/p < 0.05 (CT vs control).

• There were no significant differences for TOS.

• Significantly greater reductions in baPWV, both left and right side, were observed in the CT group:

• baPWV(L): 1263.38 ± 119.25 to 1222.46 ± 99.47 m/s, p < 0.05 (pre-post)/p < 0.05 (CT vs control).

• baPWV(R) 1301.15 ± 99.47 to 1254.38 ± 87.71 m/s, p < 0.05 (pre-post)/p < 0.05 (CT vs control).

Conclusion

• The authors concluded that circuit training significantly improves oxidative stress, nitric oxide and arterial stiffness, thereby reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Clinical practice applications

• Supervised circuit training sessions may be an effective exercise regime to improve oxidative stress and vascular function in men with obesity, and support weight loss. This may complement nutritional interventions although diet was not monitored or controlled for in this trial.

Considerations for future research

• RCTs in other populations would help confirm the generalisability of these promising results.

• RCTs with other types of training regimes with or without additional dietary intervention would help determine the most effective strategy for supporting cardiovascular health.

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Obesity leads to increased oxidative stress, disruption of the antioxidant system, and decreased bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO). This, in turn, contributes to impaired endothelial function. The resulting increase in arterial stiffness (AS) has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Regular physical activity improves the antioxidant system and vascular function. Circuit training combines aerobic exercise and resistance training, encapsulating the benefits of both types of exercise, and helps improve vascular function. We aimed to investigate the effects of circuit training on total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), NO, and atherosclerosis in adult men with obesity.

METHODS

A total of 25 obese men were randomly assigned to control ( = 12) or exercise groups ( = 13). The exercise group participated in circuit training three times per week for 12 weeks at an intensity corresponding to 60-80% of heart rate reserve (HRR). Anthropometrics, TOS, TAS, oxidative stress index (OSI), NO, and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) were measured before and after the 12-week intervention.

RESULTS

Body mass index (BMI) ( < 0.001), TAS ( < 0.001), OSI ( < 0.05), NO ( < 0.05), and baPWV (L, R) ( < 0.05) values improved significantly in the exercise group following the 12-week intervention, while TOS values did not demonstrate a significant change. Furthermore, no change was observed in the control group.

CONCLUSION

Our findings reveal that circuit training leads to improvements in BMI, TAS, OSI, NO, and baPWV in men with obesity, suggesting that it may contribute to an improvement in the antioxidant system and the prevention of CVD in obese men.