Author(s): WEN, H.J.1, CHEN, Y.Z.1, HUANG, P.Y.1, WANG, H.L.2, Institution: TZU-CHI UNIVERSITY, Country: TAIWAN, Abstract-ID: 981

INTRODUCTION:
The prevalence of dementia and obesity rises among women following menopause. Regular exercise has shown benefits in enhancing cognitive function and improving body composition. Both aerobic exercise and resistance training are recommended for adults and the elderly. Hydraulic resistance circuit training offers a safe and convenient option for sedentary women. However, the effects of different circuit training modes on inhibitory control performance and body composition in postmenopausal women (PMW) remain uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the effects of various modes of circuit training on inhibitory control performance and body composition in PMW.
METHODS:
Thirty-one healthy PMW (mean age 68.6 ± 5.6 years) with no regular exercise habits were recruited. The mean weight of participants was 58.6 ± 6.3 kg, and the mean height was 155.6 ± 4.9 cm. Participants were randomly assigned to either the hydraulic resistance circuit training group (RG) or the aerobic combined hydraulic resistance circuit training group (ARG), with training sessions scheduled three times per week, lasting 60 minutes each, over a period of 12 weeks. Stroop task performance and body composition (measured using the ACCUNIQ BC380, SELVAS Healthcare Inc.) were assessed before (week 0) and after the 12-week training period.
RESULTS:
Significant improvements were observed in the reaction time (RT) of the Stroop task for both congruent (RG: 549.5 ± 76.2 vs. 533.0 ± 58.2 ms; ARG: 591.0 ± 85.5 vs. 559.0 ± 65.6 ms, p = 0.018) and incongruent conditions (RG: 599.1 ± 102.3 vs. 575.9 ± 73.3 ms; ARG: 643.1 ± 98.2 vs. 607.3 ± 88.2 ms, p = 0.022) in both the RG and ARG groups (p < 0.05). However, there were no significant changes in the accuracy rate (RG: 98.3 ± 1.6 vs. 98.40 ± 1.1%; ARG: 98.8 ± 1.2 vs. 99.1 ± 0.8%, p = 0.38). The percentage of lean body mass (LBM, %) significantly increased in the RG group (36.0 ± 3.3% vs. 36.6 ± 3.1%, p = 0.013) compared to the ARG group (36.3 ± 1.9 vs. 36.8 ± 1.9%, p = 0.081). However, fat mass significantly decreased in the ARG group rather than the RG group after the 12-week training (CoFM0-23.4 kg, ARG 19.7 kg vs. RG 22.8 kg, p = 0.005). Additionally, the total body fat percentage (BF%) and fat mass in the trunk, upper body, and lower leg improved significantly in both groups after the 12-week training period (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSION:
Both modes of 12-week circuit training effectively improved reaction time in inhibitory control performance. However, hydraulic resistance circuit training demonstrated greater benefits for percentage of lean body mass, while aerobic combined hydraulic resistance circuit training provided more benefit for fat mass in PMW. This study was supported by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC112-2410H320-0010MY2).