Moderate-Intensity Intermittent Walking Improves Liver-Related Biomarkers and Reduces Inflammation in Postmenopausal...

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.