Effects of aerobic and resistance exercises on cardiovascular biomarkers in sedentary females: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Cardiac and inflammatory biomarkers, including N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), Galectin-3, and soluble ST2 (s-ST2), are widely used to assess myocardial stress, fibrosis, and inflammation. Although exercise is known to improve cardiometabolic health, limited evidence exists regarding the effects of different exercise modalities on these biomarkers in healthy sedentary young women. This study aimed to examine the effects of aerobic and resistance exercise on selected cardiac and inflammatory biomarkers in sedentary females. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, 45 sedentary females (mean age: 21.84 ± 2.01 years; body mass index: 25.84 ± 2.65 kg/m²) were randomly assigned to resistance exercise (n = 15), aerobic exercise (n = 15), or control (n = 15) groups. The resistance group performed supervised training three times per week (3 sets of 8-10 repetitions at 75-80% of one-repetition maximum), while the aerobic group completed treadmill exercise at 75% of heart rate reserve for 45-60 min, three times per week, for 8 weeks. The control group maintained their usual sedentary lifestyle. Biomarkers were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. RESULTS: Following the intervention, Galectin-3 and s-ST2 levels were significantly reduced in both exercise groups compared with the control group (p < .001). In contrast, BNP and NT-proBNP levels were significantly increased in the exercise groups (p < .001). NT-proBNP showed a greater increase in the resistance exercise group compared with the aerobic group (p ≤ .05). CONCLUSION: Both aerobic and resistance exercise induced favorable changes in cardiac and inflammatory biomarkers in sedentary young women. Increases in BNP and NT-proBNP appear to reflect physiological adaptations to exercise rather than pathological cardiac stress, while reductions in s-ST2 and Galectin-3 indicate improved inflammatory status. These findings support the role of structured exercise as an effective non-pharmacological strategy for improving cardiometabolic health in this population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT07457047 (Registered date: 03-03-2026). This study was retrospectively registered on https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07457047.