resistance training decreases lipid content of different fat deposits in ovariectomized rats

Background: ovariectomy (ovx) in female rats leads to increased adiposity that may result in the emergence of obesity-related diseases. adiposity index has been used in analyses and discussions endeavoring to elucidate the deleterious effects of increased adiposity and possible effects of resistance training (rt) as a treatment capable of preventing fat accumulation induced by ovx. objectives: investigate the effects of rt on adiposity index and the percentage of visceral fat in intact and ovariectomized rats. methods: female wistar rats were distributed in four experimental groups (n = 10 per group): intact sedentary (int-sed) and trained (int-rt) groups; ovariectomized sedentary (ovx-sed) and trained (ovx-rt) groups. the rats performed rt for 12 weeks on a vertical ladder with a session performed every 72 hours. intra-abdominal fat deposits including mesenteric (mes), urogenital (uro) and retroperitoneal (ret) were analyzed. adiposity index was performed using a gravimetric method and percentage of fat (%) = (). (fat depots)/body mass) x 100). results: rt in ovx animals decreased relative mass of ret and mes tissues compared to ovx-sed (p < 0.05). the ovx-rt group showed lower fat percentage for ret (∆ = 31%), mes (∆ = 44%) and uro (∆ = 36%) compared to ovx-sed (p = 0.001, p = 0.002 and p < 0.001, respectively). the adiposity index (%) was lower in ovx-rt compared to int-rt (p < 0.05). rats exposed to rt and ovx decreased % of fat by approximately 15% compared to int-rt group (p = 0.013). conclusions: resistance training was able to decrease the adiposity index and percentage of visceral fat ret, mes and uro tissue of ovx rats. resistance training may be a beneficial, non-pharmacological treatment of obesity, specifically after ovarian hormone deprivation.