Effects of an 8-Week Aerobic Exercise Training on Saliva Steroid Hormones, Physical Capacity, and Quality of Life in Diabetic Obese Men

The purpose of the study was to assess the effects of aerobic exercise training on saliva steroid hormones [i.e., cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and testosterone], physical capacity, and quality of life in obese diabetic men. 8 abdominally obese type 2 diabetic men (59.5 +/- 1.7 years old, BMI = 35.5 +/- 1.6 kg/m(2), waist circumference = 119.4 +/- 3.3 cm) and 9 healthy men (57.4 +/- 1.5 years old, BMI = 24.5 +/- 0.8 kg/m(2), waist circumference = 92.3 +/- 1.9 cm) participated in the study. The obese diabetic men underwent 8 weeks of aerobic exercise training: twice a week 45 min sessions at 75% of peak heart rate and once a week 45 min session of intermittent exercise. Before and after training, steroid hormone concentrations were analyzed from saliva samples, physical capacity was assessed by the 6-minute walking test, and quality of life was estimated by a specific questionnaire for obese subjects. These data were compared with the data from the healthy untrained men. The basal saliva DHEA and testosterone concentrations, physical capacity, and quality of life scores of the obese diabetic men were significantly lower than those of the healthy men. Aerobic training induces a significant increase in the 6-min walking distance and improve the psychosocial impact dimension of quality of life, without modifying significantly any other parameter investigated. These data suggest that an 8-week aerobic exercise program improves physical capacity and quality of life in obese diabetic men, but was insufficient to correct the anthropometric and hormonal alterations observed in this population.