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Ghrelin, a gastric-derived peptide, regulates appetite, food intake, and energy homeostasis. Body weight plays a crucial role in modulating circulating ghrelin levels. Since exercise training is one of the most valuable tools for controlling body weight, it is relevant to consider whether exercise can influence total ghrelin secretion. This study aims to perform a systematic review of the effect of acute/chronic exercise on plasma ghrelin levels. An extensive literature search was carried out on various databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. The search was conducted using English keywords such as acute-exercise, transient-exercise, exercise, chronic-exercise, training, physical-activity, physical-training, exercise training, and total-ghrelin, ghrelin, appetite-related-peptides, gastrointestinal-peptides, gastrointestinal-hormones, and appetite-regulating-hormone. Initially, 2104 studies were identified. After evaluating study quality, data from 61 relevant studies were extracted for inclusion in this review. Most studies indicated that short-term acute aerobic exercise did not affect total ghrelin levels regardless of exercise intensity, characteristics, or growth hormone (GH) secretion. However, long and very-long aerobic/chronic exercise increased total ghrelin levels, mainly in overweight/obese individuals. Acute/chronic exercise may differentially influence total ghrelin secretion. Short-term acute aerobic exercise induces stable plasma ghrelin concentrations, independent of GH secretion. Long-term aerobic training increased its levels mainly in overweight/obese individuals through body composition and oxidative stress reduction. Additionally, total ghrelin secretion is more sensitive to exercise/training duration than exercise/training intensity.

Postmenopausal obesity is an important public health concern, accompanied by increased systemic inflammation that heightens the risk of liver disease. Exercise improved both inflammatory and hepatic function. Moderate‐intensity intermittent‐walking training (MIWT) is considered a feasible approach for postmenopausal women with obesity. This study aimed to investigate whether MIWT could reduce the risk by modulating hepatic enzymes and selected inflammatory markers. Thirty‐six sedentary postmenopausal women with obesity (mean age 55.7 ± 3.5 years; mean weight: 86.9 ± 12.2 kg; mean BMI: 34.0 ± 5.0 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to a training group (TG, n = 18) or a control group (CG, n = 18). The TG completed a 10‐week MIWT protocol (4 sessions/week, ∼85 min/session), involving repeated walking intervals at 60%–80% of the 6MWT distance with active recovery. As a secondary objective, changes in body composition and aerobic capacity were also assessed. Significant improvements were observed in the TG group in liver enzymes alanine‐transaminase (ALT), (p = 0.002, d = 0.29), aspartate‐transaminase (AST) (p = 0.013, d = 0.29), gamma‐glutamyl‐transferase (GGT) (p = 0.036, d = 0.25), total bilirubin (p = 0.009, d = 0.13), and C‐reactive‐protein (CRP) (p = 0.007, d = 0.49). Additionally, significant reductions were found in body mass (p < 0.001), BMI (p < 0.001), body fat (p = 0.001), and waist circumference (p < 0.001), along with increased aerobic capacity (p = 0.031). These findings indicate that MIWT is a feasible and effective intervention for inducing favorable changes in liver‐related biochemical markers and systemic inflammation, with additional benefits for body composition and aerobic fitness in postmenopausal women with obesity. Summary Moderate‐intensity intermittent walking (MIWT) significantly improved liver enzymes (ALT, AST, GGT) and increased total bilirubin, indicating enhanced hepatic function in postmenopausal women with obesity. Systemic inflammation was reduced, as evidenced by significant decreases in C‐reactive protein (CRP) following the 10‐week MIWT program. MIWT also improved body composition by reducing body mass, BMI, body fat, and waist circumference, while enhancing aerobic capacity. MIWT represents a feasible, low‐cost, non‐pharmacological intervention that can be integrated into community‐ or primary care–based programs to improve metabolic health in postmenopausal women with obesity.

Background: Obesity alters metabolic, inflammatory, and immune responses, and acute exercise may affect these parameters differently according to body composition. This study investigated the acute effects of Spartacus exercise on metabolic, inflammatory, and immune markers in adolescent girls with overweight/obesity and normal weight. Methods: In this non-randomized clinical study, sixteen girls with overweight/obesity (BMI: 31.17 ± 3.85 kg/m2) and fourteen normal-weight girls (BMI: 21.93 ± 0.99 kg/m2) performed an intermittent running test (15 s effort, 15 s passive recovery), starting at 7 km·h−1 with 1 km·h−1 increments every 3 min until exhaustion. Blood samples were collected at rest (T0), immediately post-exercise (T1), and 30 min post-exercise (T2). CRP and ESR were assessed at baseline to characterize participants’ inflammatory status, while glucose and leukocyte subpopulations were evaluated to investigate acute exercise responses. Results: Fasting glucose, lipid profile (TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C), inflammatory markers (CRP, ESR), and leukocyte subpopulations were assessed. Significant group effects were observed for all metabolic and inflammatory markers, reflecting higher baseline values in participants with overweight/obesity compared with normal-weight participants (p < 0.05). Significant effects of time were found for glucose and leukocytes (p < 0.001), indicating acute exercise-induced changes, along with significant time × group interactions. Participants with overweight/obesity showed greater and more prolonged increases in glucose, total leukocytes, and neutrophils, whereas normal-weight girls returned to baseline within 30 min. Conclusions: Acute high-intensity intermittent exercise induces transient metabolic and immune responses in adolescents, with amplified and prolonged effects in those with obesity. These findings highlight the importance of considering body composition when prescribing exercise programs.

The study aimed to investigate the effects of acute ingestion of saffron (SAF) on physiological (i.e., heart rate and blood lactate) and perceptual (i.e., ratings of perceived exertion [RPE] and feeling scale) measures in response to a repeated-sprint ability test (RSS) in healthy young males ( N  = 22; mean ± SD: age, 21.7 ± 1.24 yrs.). All participants completed two experimental trials with a one-week washout period using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. In each session, the participants were randomly chosen to receive either a capsule of saffron (300 mg) (SAF session) or a capsule of lactose (PLB session) two hours before performing the RSS. No significant differences ( p  > 0.05) were found for heart rate, RPE, and feeling scale between the SAF or PLB sessions at pre- and post-RSS. There were no significant changes ( p  > 0.05) in peak time, total time, fatigue index, and blood lactate in either the SAF or PLB sessions. Acute SAF ingestion did not significantly improve RSS performance nor physiological and perceptual measures in active young males. Future trials should address the topic by using shortened/prolonged higher doses of SAF on biological, physical, physiological, and perceptual responses to acute and chronic exercise.

The Article Abstract is not available.

Background/Objectives: Despite the abundant body of evidence linking high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to cardiometabolic markers, little is known about how HIIT affects liver enzymes, particularly in obese adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the effects of HIIT on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD)-related biomarkers in overweight/obese adolescent girls. Methods: Thirty-three overweight/obese adolescent girls (age, 17.0 ± 1.15 yr.; body mass index, 33.3 ± 4.77 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to HIIT (n = 17) or control (n = 16) groups. The HIIT group participated in a nine-week HIIT program (three times weekly) without caloric restriction. Maximal aerobic speed, body composition indexes, blood pressure, MASLD-related biomarkers [liver enzymes (alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)), plasma lipids, uric acid, platelet count, and homeostasis model assessment index for insulin-resistance (HOMA-IR)] were examined at baseline and after the intervention. Results: Significant “time × group” interactions were found for body composition indexes, systolic blood pressure, maximal aerobic speed, liver enzymes ALT and AST, plasma lipids, glucose, and HOMA-IR. The HIIT program resulted in an increase in maximal aerobic speed (p = 0.035) and a decrease in body composition and plasma lipids (p < 0.01), systolic blood pressure (p = 0.011), ALT (p = 0.013), AST (p = 0.012), and HOMA-IR (p = 0.01), but no significant changes in uric acid and platelet count. None of these markers changed in the control group. Conclusions: HIIT resulted in an improvement in MASLD-related biomarkers. HIIT could be an effective exercise therapy to prevent and reverse MASLD in adolescents with obesity.