Secondary outcomes at baseline and after 10 weeks
| Secondary outcomes | Total sample | Exercise (n=8) | Control (n=10) | Between-group differences | |||||
| Baseline mean | 95% CI | Final mean | 95% CI | Final mean | 95% CI | Mean diff. | 95% CI | P values | |
| Body composition | |||||||||
| Body weight (kg) | 86.9 | 82.5 to 91.4 | 85.1 | 80.4 to 89.9 | 87.2 | 82.5 to 91.9 | 2.1 | –1.4 to 5.5 | 0.22 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 30.2 | 29.1 to 31.3 | 29.6 | 28.4 to 30.8 | 30.3 | 29.1 to 31.5 | 0.7 | −0.4 to 1.8 | 0.18 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 102.4 | 98.4 to 106.4 | 96.3† | 90.9 to 101.6 | 99.5 | 94.6 to 104.3 | 3.2 | –2.8 to 9.2 | 0.27 |
| Waist-hip ratio | 0.90 | 0.86 to 0.93 | 0.86 | 0.81 to 0.91 | 0.87 | 0.83 to 0.92 | 0.01 | –0.05 to 0.07 | 0.73 |
| Fat-free mass (kg) | 53.3 | 50.3 to 56.4 | 53.3 | 50.1 to 56.5 | 52.8 | 49.7 to 56.0 | –0.5 | –2.2 to 1.3 | 0.56 |
| Fat mass (%) | 39.2 | 37.2 to 41.2 | 37.9 | 35.7 to 40.2 | 39.8 | 37.6 to 42.1 | 1.9 | –0.1 to 3.9 | 0.06 |
| Visceral fat (cm2) | 141.8 | 133.8 to 149.8 | 134.3† | 124.7 to 143.9 | 142.9 | 133.6 to 152.2 | 8.6 | –1.3 to 18.5 | 0.08 |
| Blood pressure | |||||||||
| Systolic (mm Hg) | 119.7 | 114.1 to 125.2 | 119.0 | 110.8 to 127.2 | 118.3 | 110.7 to 126.0 | –0.7 | –11.1 to 9.8 | 0.90 |
| Diastolic (mm Hg) | 73.1 | 69.1 to 77.1 | 69.6 | 64.1 to 75.1 | 69.4 | 64.2 to 74.7 | –0.2 | −6.9 to 6.6 | 0.96 |
| Resting heart rate (beats/min) | 62.5 | 57.4 to 67.6 | 59.7 | 53.3 to 66.0 | 60.0 | 53.9 to 66.1 | 0.3 | −6.8 to 7.4 | 0.92 |
| Lipids | |||||||||
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | 4.4 | 4.0 to 4.8 | 4.4 | 3.9 to 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 to 4.9 | 0.1 | −0.5 to 0.6 | 0.75 |
| Triglycerides (mmol/L) | 0.8 | 0.6 to 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.5 to 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.7 to 1.1 | 0.2 | –0.1 to 0.5 | 0.17 |
| HDL cholesterol (mmol/L) | 1.4 | 1.2 to 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.3 to 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.2 to 1.6 | –0.1 | −0.2 to 0.1 | 0.27 |
| LDL cholesterol (mmol/L) | 2.8 | 2.4 to 3.3 | 2.7 | 2.2 to 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.5 to 3.7 | 0.4 | −0.3 to 1.0 | 0.23 |
| LDL:HDL ratio | 2.4 | 1.7 to 3.0 | 2.2 | 1.5 to 2.9 | 2.6 | 1.9 to 3.3 | 0.4 | −0.2 to 1.0 | 0.18 |
| Androgens | |||||||||
| AMH (pmol/L) | 20.8 | 13.1 to 28.6 | 21.2 | 11.2 to 31.3 | 22.2 | 12.6 to 31.8 | 1.0 | −10.5 to 12.5 | 0.86 |
| Total testosterone (nmol/L) | 1.1 | 0.9 to 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 to 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.6 to 1.2 | 0.0 | −0.4 to 0.4 | 0.92 |
| SHBG (nmol/L) | 50.7 | 37.2 to 64.2 | 50.3 | 35.9 to 64.7 | 57.3 | 43.1 to 71.5 | 7.0 | −3.1 to 17.1 | 0.16 |
| Free androgen index | 2.7 | 1.9 to 3.5 | 2.1 | 1.0 to 3.3 | 2.0 | 0.9 to 3.1 | –0.2 | −1.7 to 1.4 | 0.83 |
| TSH (mIU/L) | 2.0 | 1.2 to 2.9 | 2.0 | 1.1 to 2.8 | 2.1 | 1.2 to 2.9 | 0.1 | −0.4 to 0.5 | 0.69 |
| FSH (IU/L) | 6.1 | 4.5 to 7.7 | 5.6 | 2.8 to 8.4 | 4.9 | 2.3 to 7.5 | –0.7 | −4.5 to 3.1 | 0.71 |
| Oestradiol (nmol/L) | 0.5 | 0.3 to 0.7 | 0.3 | −0.1, 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 to 0.7 | 0.2 | −0.3 to 0.6 | 0.50 |
| DHEA (µmol/L) | 5.8 | 4.9 to 6.8 | 6.0 | 4.8 to 7.2 | 6.0 | 4.9 to 7.2 | 0.0 | −1.3 to 1.3 | 0.99 |
| LH (IU/L) | 11.2 | 6.0 to 16.4 | 5.1 | −3.9, 14.1 | 5.4 | −2.9, 13.8 | 0.3 | −12.0 to 12.6 | 0.96 |
| Prolactin (mIU/L) | 238 | 201 to 276 | 187 | 132 to 243 | 178 | 126 to 230 | –9.0 | −80 to 62 | 0.78 |
| Insulin sensitivity | |||||||||
| Fasting plasma glucose (mmol/L) | 5.0 | 4.8 to 5.2 | 4.8† | 4.5 to 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.7 to 5.2 | 0.2 | −0.1 to 0.4 | 0.26 |
| Fasting serum insulin (pmol/L) | 101.6 | 57.1 to 146.2 | 108.1 | 55.2 to 161.0 | 105.9 | 52.9 to 159.0 | –2.2 | −65.9 to 61.5 | 0.94 |
| HbA1c (%) | 5.0 | 4.9 to 5.2 | 5.0 | 4.8 to 5.2 | 5.1 | 4.9 to 5.3 | 0.1 | −0.2 to 0.3 | 0.57 |
| Fasting c-peptide (nmol/L) | 0.7 | 0.5 to 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.4 to 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.4 to 0.8 | 0.0 | −0.3 to 0.3 | 0.94 |
| M-value (mg/min/m2) | 264.1 | 193.9 to 334.4 | 324.7† | 247.2 to 402.2 | 241.0 | 157.6 to 324.3 | –83.7* | –160.7 to –6.8 | 0.04 |
| M-value (mg/min/kg fat-free mass) | 10.2 | 7.6 to 12.7 | 11.7 | 7.7 to 15.8 | 6.4 | 2.0 to 10.8 | – 5.3 | –11.2 to 0 5 | 0.07 |
| SIClamp, M/(G-∆I) | 0.9 | 0.4 to 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.4 to 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.1 to 1.1 | –0.3 | −0.9 to 0.3 | 0.20 |
| HOMA2-IR | 3.4 | 1.9 to 5.0 | 3.5 | 1.7 to 5.4 | 3.5 | 1.6 to 5.4 | –0.0 | −2.3 to 2.2 | 0.99 |
| VO2peak (mL/kg/min) | 31.1 | 28.7 to 33.5 | 33.7† | 30.8 to 36.5 | 31.4 | 28.7 to 34.2 | −2.2 | −5.0 to 0.5 | 0.10 |
Model-based analysis with baseline mean for all participants and comparison between groups after the intervention (final mean) presented as mean difference (diff) with 95% CI and p value. Variables were analysed by mixed linear model.
*Between-group difference.
†Within-group difference.
AMH, anti-Müllerian hormone; DHEA, dehydroepiandrosterone; FSH, follicle-stimulating hormone; HbA1c, haemoglobin subunit alpha 1; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; HOMA2-IR, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; LH, luteinising hormone; SHBG, sex hormone-binding globulin; SIClamp , glucose infusion rate/steady-state glucose x ∆insulin; TSH, thyroid-stimulating hormone; VO2peak, peak oxygen uptake. Free androgen index was calculated as 100 × (total testosterone/SHBG).