The effect of 8 weeks of swimming exercise on serum levels of Visfatin, TNF-α and insulin resistance in obese women with type 2 diabetes

Siahkouhian, Marefat; Abdoli, Mohammad; Kolivand, Hanieh

doi:10.22054/nass.2025.90138.1214

The effect of 8 weeks of swimming exercise on serum levels of Visfatin, TNF-α and insulin resistance in obese women with type 2 diabetes

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

marefat siahkouhian ¹

Mohammad Abdoli ²

Hanieh Kolivand ³

¹ Professor of Exercise Physiology, Department of Exercise Physiology, Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.

² Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Arak University, Arak, Iran.

³ Department of Pathology and Corrective Movements, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22054/nass.2025.90138.1214

Abstract

Objective:
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder often associated with obesity, inflammation, and insulin resistance.

Methods:
Thirty obese women with T2DM (mean age 44.6 ± 5.1 years) participated voluntarily and were randomly assigned into experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 15) groups. The experimental group performed swimming training three sessions per week for eight weeks at an intensity of 60–85% of maximum heart rate, while the control group maintained their routine lifestyle. Blood samples were collected 24 hours before and 48 hours after the intervention to determine serum visfatin, plasma TNF-α, fasting glucose, and insulin levels. Data were analyzed using paired and independent t-tests and ANCOVA (p < 0.05).

Results:
Swimming training significantly decreased serum visfatin (from 28.6 ± 4.3 ng/mL to 22.3 ± 3.5 ng/mL; p = 0.001), plasma TNF-α (from 11.2 ± 1.8 pg/mL to 8.6 ± 1.5 pg/mL; p = 0.002), and HOMA-IR index (from 5.12 ± 0.98 to 3.72 ± 0.74; p = 0.001) in the experimental group. No significant changes were observed in the control group (p > 0.05).

Conclusion:
Eight weeks of moderate-intensity swimming exercise effectively reduced inflammatory markers and improved insulin sensitivity in obese women with type 2 diabetes. These results suggest that aquatic aerobic training can be recommended as a safe, practical, and efficient therapeutic approach for managing metabolic and inflammatory complications in diabetic patients.

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