Water-based aerobic training successfully improves lipid profile of dyslipidemic women: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effects of water-based aerobic training on the lipid profile and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) levels in premenopausal women with dyslipidemia. Method: Forty women were randomly assigned to: aquatic training (WA; n = 20) or a control group (CG; n = 20). The WA group underwent 12 weeks of water-based interval aerobic training twice a week at intensities ranging from 9 to 15 on the Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion. Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high- (HDL) and low- (LDL) density lipoprotein, TC/HDL ratio, LPL levels, and peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) were evaluated before and after 12 weeks in both groups. Results: The WA group elicited decreases in TC (9%; effect size [ES] = 0.69; 95% CI [0.05, 1.33]), LDL (16%; ES = 0.78; 95% CI [0.13, 1.42]), and the TC/HDL ratio (17%; ES = 1.13; 95% CI [0.46, 1.79]), as well as increases in VO2peak (10%; ES = 0.64; 95% CI [0.002, 1.27]) and HDL (10%; ES = 0.28; 95% CI [−0.35. 0.90]), without significant changes in TG (ES = 0.16; 95% CI [−0.46, 1.79]) and LPL (ES = 0.36; 95% CI [−0.27, 0.98]) levels. In the CG, no statistically significant changes in any of these variables were found (TC, ES = 0.19, 95% CI [−0.43, 0.82]; LDL, ES = 0.22, 95% CI [−0.40, 0.85]; HDL, ES = 0.05, 95% CI [−0.57, 0.67]; TG, ES = 0.09, 95% CI [−0.53, 0.71]; TC/HDL ratio, ES = 0.20, 95% CI [−0.42, 0.82]; LPL, ES = 0.02, 95% CI [−0.60, 0.64]; VO2peak, ES = 0.20, 95% CI [−0.42, 0.82]). Conclusion: Water-based interval aerobic training positively affected the lipid profile in premenopausal dyslipidemic women.