Age and menarcheal status do not influence metabolic response to aerobic training in overweight girls

Background Multidisciplinary intervention is an alternative for the treatment of children and adolescent obese. However, the influence of age and menarcheal status in the pattern of metabolic response of obese girls has not been investigated. The following study examined the effects of a 12-week multidisciplinary intervention on metabolic health in overweight girls and the contribution of age and menarcheal status on the resulting changes. Methods Eighty-eight overweight girls (10 - 16 years) were considered initially for this study and randomly assigned (intervention group: n = 58; control group: n = 30). Forty-six girls completed the intervention program and 16 girls completed the follow-up for the control group. The 12-week intervention included aerobic exercises (three times per week) and nutritional intervention. Anthropometrical measures (body mass, body mass index and waist circumference), menarcheal status and metabolic profiles including glucose, insulin, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were assessed in the beginning and after of intervention. Additionally, were calculated homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI). Results After 12-week, girls decreased significantly the body mass (76.6 ± 14.7 to 75.7 ± 14.6 kg) body mass index (30.1 ± 4.0 to 29.4 ± 4.0 kg/m2) and waist circumference (98.9 ± 10.9 to 96.5 ± 11.4 cm). There were differences in HDL-C (43.1 ± 8.2 to 50.3 ± 9.4 mg/dl), TG (120.9 ± 64.3 to 93.3 ± 47.9 mg/dl) and insulin (16.9 ± 7.6 to 15.6 ± 9.8 mg/dl). Relative contribution of age was significant only for within-subject variability in waist circumference. Conclusions The multidisciplinary based on aerobic training intervention used in this study produced substantial benefits on metabolic health indicators in overweight girls. The changes observed were not related to inter-individual variability in age and maturity status.