The Effect of a Selected Period of Exercise in Water on Cardiovascular Risk Indicators of Overweight Elderly Men

Background and Aim: Voluntary activity decreases in the elderly with increasing age, and this activity causes many physical problems and cardiovascular risk factors. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ۸ weeks of selected aerobic exercise in water on some cardiovascular risk indicators in overweight elderly men. Materials and Methods: After measuring anthropometric indices, ۳۴ overweight men (۶۴.۸۴±۵.۵۶ years old, body mass index [BMI]≥۲۵ kg/m۲) were randomly selected and divided into water exercise (n=۱۷) and control (n=۱۷) groups. The water exercise group did the aerobic exercise in the water with an intensity of ۴۵% to ۶۵% of maximum heart rate for ۸ weeks. Before and after the intervention, blood samples were taken from all subjects to measure serum levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check the normality of data distribution, and after assuming the normality of the data, the paired t test was used to examine within-group changes and an independent t test for between-group differences. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software. The results were evaluated at a significance level of less than ۰.۰۵. Results: Water exercise significantly reduced mean blood pressure (P≤۰.۰۰۱), systolic blood pressure (P≤۰.۰۰۰), TG (P≤۰.۰۰), cholesterol (P≤۰.۰۱), and LDL (P≤۰.۰۲) in elderly men. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the HDL index. Conclusion: Eight weeks of water aerobic exercise can positively reduce cardiovascular risk factors in overweight elderly men. Therefore, these exercises can be recommended by sports and health experts.