Objective: The purpose of the study was to determine whether exercise-induced increases in energy expenditure (EE) alter circulating leptin levels in obese individuals.
Design: Participants were randomized to an exercise intervention group (n = 8) or nonexercising control (n = 7).
Setting: All data were collected on an outpatient basis at the exercise physiology laboratory at the University of Central Florida.
Patients: Fifteen healthy obese males (24.9 +/- 1.4 years old, body mass index 33.4 +/- 0.7 kg . m).
Interventions: Members of the intervention group underwent a single exercise session of moderate intensity (58.4 +/- 1.3% of VO2max) for 60 minutes.
Main outcome measurements: Postexercise, 24 hour postexercise, and 48 hour postexercise levels of leptin, insulin, and ghrelin.
Results: The exercise session elicited an EE of 567 +/- 25 Kcal. No significant main effect or time-by-group interactions for leptin or ghrelin were observed immediately after the exercise bout or in the days following the intervention.
Conclusions: These preliminary data suggest that a bout of acute exercise of moderate intensity and duration does not affect leptin concentration. It is possible that a higher level of EE is required to elicit substantial changes.