Short-Term Aerobic Exercise Did Not Change Telomere Length While It Reduced Testosterone Levels and Obesity Indexes in PCOS: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial Study

Metabolic and hormonal outcomes of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have implications on telomere biology and physical activity may prevent telomere erosion. We sought to observe the effects of continuous (CAT) and intermittent (IAT) aerobic training on telomere length, inflammatory biomarkers, and its correlation with metabolic, hormonal, and anthropometric parameters of PCOS. This randomized controlled clinical trial study included 87 PCOS randomly stratified according to body mass index (BMI) in CAT ( n = 28), IAT ( n = 29) and non-training control group (CG, n = 30). The exercises were carried out on a treadmill, three times per week for 16 weeks. The participants’ anthropometric characteristics and biochemical and hormonal concentrations were measured before and after aerobic training or observation period, as the telomere length that was evaluated using quantitative real-time PCR. Four months of aerobic exercises (CAT or IAT) did not alter telomere length and inflammatory biomarkers in PCOS women. Obesity index as BMI and waist circumference (WC), and inflammatory biomarkers negatively affect telomeres. The hyper-andro-genism measured by testosterone levels was reduced after both exercises (CAT, p ≤ 0.001; IAT, p = 0.019). In particular, the CAT reduced WC ( p = 0.045), hip circumference ( p = 0.032), serum cholesterol ( p ≤ 0.001), and low-density lipoprotein ( p = 0.030). Whereas, the IAT decreased WC ( p = 0.014), waist-to-hip ratio ( p = 0.012), free androgen index (FAI) ( p = 0.037). WC ( p = 0.049) and body fat ( p = 0.015) increased in the non-training group while total cholesterol was reduced ( p = 0.010). Booth exercises reduced obesity indices and hyperandrogenism on PCOS women without changes in telomere length or inflammatory biomarkers.