Habitual exercise decreases plasma xanthine oxidoreductase activity in middle-aged and older women

The aim of present study was to investigate the association between plasma xanthine oxidoreductase activity, which has gained attention as a novel preventive target of cardiovascular disease, and various physiological parameters and was to determine the effects of habitual exercise on plasma xanthine oxidoreductase activity in middle-aged and older women. In the cross-sectional study, we investigated the association between plasma xanthine oxidoreductase activity and various physiological parameters in 94 middle-aged and older women. In the interventional study, subjects (n = 22) were divided into two groups: exercise (n = 12) or the control group (n = 10), whereby we examined the effect of 12-week aerobic exercise training on plasma xanthine oxidoreductase activity in middle-aged and older women. The cross-sectional study demonstrated that plasma xanthine oxidoreductase activity was significantly associated with various physiological parameters, including visceral fat and daily step counts. In the interventional study, the plasma xanthine oxidoreductase activity significantly decreased after the 12-week aerobic exercise training, its changes were inversely associated with the changes in daily step counts. Our results revealed that the plasma xanthine oxidoreductase activity was associated with visceral fat accumulation and lack of exercise, and it was decreased by the aerobic exercise training.