INTRODUCTION: Adiponectin is an adipose tissue-derived anti-inflammatory protein that is down-regulated in obesity. The effects of caloric restriction and exercise induced weight loss on adiponectin are not clear. PURPOSE: To determine whether addition of aerobic exercise training to caloric restriction has additive effects over caloric restriction alone on circulating adiponectin concentrations and adiponectin release from abdominal and gluteal adipose tissue. METHODS: Overweight or obese (body mass index 25 to 40 kg/m2, waist 88 cm) postmenopausal women were randomized to 20-week caloric restriction with and without aerobic exercise (CR+EX, n = 48 and CR, n = 22). Blood samples were collected for measuring plasma adiponectin concentration, and abdominal and gluteal subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsies were performed in a subgroup to determine in vitro adiponectin release, before and after the interventions. RESULTS: The interventions elicited similar amounts of weight loss (CR+EX -11.3 +/- 4.6 kg; CR -11.2 +/- 3.4 kg) and fat loss (CR+EX -8.0 +/- 3.5 kg; CR -7.4 +/- 2.7 kg). The two groups had differential changes in plasma adiponectin concentrations (p for interaction = 0.014); CR+EX increased (6.9 +/- 3.9 to 8.5 +/- 4.9 mug/ml, p = 0.0001), while CR did not alter (6.4 +/- 4.4 to 6.5 +/- 4.5 mug/ml, p = 0.42), plasma adiponectin. Likewise, adiponectin release from abdominal and gluteal subcutaneous adipose tissue increased with CR+EX (p = 0.0076 and 0.089, respectively), but did not change with CR (p = 0.13 and 0.95, respectively). CONCLUSION: Despite similar reductions in body weight and fat mass, the addition of aerobic exercise to caloric restriction increased plasma adiponectin concentrations, which may be partly explained by increased adiponectin release from abdominal and gluteal subcutaneous adipose tissue.

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