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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1451427
This article is part of the Research Topic Comprehensive Evaluation of Various Training Protocols for Youth: Effects on Body Composition, Hemodynamics, and Motor Performance View all 5 articles

Exercise Improves Body Composition, Physical Fitness, and blood levels of C-Peptide and IGF-1 in 11-to 12-Year-Old Boys with Obesity

Provisionally accepted
Min-Seong Ha Min-Seong Ha 1,2Minchul Lee Minchul Lee 3*Hyo Youl Moon Hyo Youl Moon 4Jang Soo Yook Jang Soo Yook 5*
  • 1 University of Seoul, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 2 Dongguk University Seoul, Seoul, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 3 CHA University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea
  • 4 Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 5 Inha University, Incheon, Republic of Korea

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Exercise is vital in preventing and treating obesity. Despite its importance, the understanding of how exercise influences childhood obesity at the biochemical level is limited. In this study, we explore the effects of a 16-week exercise program (EP) on body composition, physical fitness, and the blood levels of hormones related to obesity. Methods:Sixteen boys with obesity (n = 16) and seventeen boys without obesity (n = 17) took part in an EP comprising sports games and aerobic and resistance exercises. We examined alterations in body composition and physical fitness. In addition, we measured circulating hormone levels, including C-peptide, resistin, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and growth hormone (GH), in the blood. Results: Body fat percentage (BFP) decreased from 37.61% at pre-EP to 29.16% at post-EP in the obese group, but not in the non-obese group.The EP decreased C-peptide (4.58 ng/mL vs. 2.96 ng/mL, p <0.001) and resistin levels (14.05 ng/mL vs. 11.06 ng/mL, p <0.001) in the obese group. After the EP, significant improvement in IGF-1 (non-obese: 265.56 ng/mL vs. 311.81 ng/mL, p <0.001; obese: 224.74 ng/mL vs. 272.89 ng/mL, p <0.001) and GH levels (non-obese: 3.91 ng/mL vs. 4.80 ng/mL, p <0.05; obese: 1.76 ng/mL vs. 2.51 ng/mL, p <0.05) were observed in both groups. Lower C-peptide levels were associated with BFP (r = 0.447, p = 0.009) and muscle mass (r = -0.385, p = 0.02), whereas enhanced IGF-1 levels correlated with increased muscle strength (r = 0.343, p = 0.05) and cardiovascular fitness (r = 0.347, p = 0.04). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that cardiovascular fitness variability and BFP in the obese group were determined by C-peptide (β = -0.054, p < 0.001) and IGF-1 levels (β = -2.936, p < 0.05), respectively. Discussion: Exercise may induce positive effects on improvements in body composition and physical fitness, as well as on blood levels of metabolic biochemicals such as C-peptide and IGF-1, in adolescent boys with obesity.

    Keywords: Exercise, Childhood Obesity, Physical Fitness, C-Peptide, IGF-1

    Received: 19 Jun 2024; Accepted: 11 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ha, Lee, Moon and Yook. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Minchul Lee, CHA University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea
    Jang Soo Yook, Inha University, Incheon, Republic of Korea

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