Beyond fitness: The impact of community-based exercise on body composition and metabolic health in Egyptian men

Abstract

Visceral adiposity and insulin resistance are the determinants of sarcopenic obesity and metabolic syndrome and pose growing health problems in older Egyptian men. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a structured exercise program in improving body composition, functional physical fitness, and cardiometabolic health in sedentary men aged 50–60 years who are overweight/obese in El Minya, Egypt. Twenty-four males (BMI ≥ 27.0 kg/m², mean age = 56.22 years) were randomly divided into two groups: an exercise group (n = 12) and a control group (n = 12). The intervention group participated in a 10-week, multi-component, supervised exercise program (aerobic, resistance, flexibility exercises; 3 sessions/week, 65–75 min/session) at a local sports facility. The control group continued with their normal lifestyles. The body composition parameters measured were BMI, body fat percentage, fat mass; the ten functional tests of physical fitness were assessed; and the cardiometabolic parameters measured were lipid profile, fasting glucose, HbA1c, blood pressure, blood lactate and VC. Independent and paired t-tests were used to analyze the data, and Cohen's d was used for effect sizes. There were no significant differences between groups at baseline (p > 0.05). The exercise group showed very significant changes in body weight (−4.30 kg), BMI (−1.47 kg/m²), body fat (−3.70%), and fat mass (−4.65 kg) after the intervention (p < 0.001). Every functional fitness parameter improved significantly (p ≤ 0.002), notably plank endurance (+20.20 s, d = 1.76), leg strength (+15.50 kg, d = 1.65), and abdominal sit-ups (+6.30, d = 1.58). Moreover, there was a deep cardiometabolic recalibration as evident by the drop in: SBP (−10.10 mmHg); total cholesterol (−25.90 mg/dL); triglycerides (−30.20 mg/dL); LDL-C (−26.40 mg/dL); fasting glucose (−14.40 mg/dL); and HbA1c (−0.50%), and a rise in protective HDL-C (+7.30 mg/dL). There were no significant improvements in the control group. All delta comparisons between the groups were statistically significant (p ≤ 0.004). A community-based exercise program is very effective in combating sarcopenic obesity, reversing prediabetic and atherogenic phenotypes, and restoring functional independence in older Egyptian men (50-60 years). The results strongly recommend that community sports facilities in Egypt, which are accessible to the public, should be part of the country's preventive healthcare system in order to prevent non-communicable lifestyle diseases. Keywords Community-Based Exercise; metabolic syndrome; body composition; Insulin Resistance; Sarcopenic Obesity; Functional Fitness; Cardiometabolic Health.