Effects of a 12-Week Zumba Training Program on Estimated Aerobic Capacity and Exploratory Hematological and Inflammatory Outcomes in Overweight/Obese Postmenopausal Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

This pilot randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of a 12-week Zumba training program on estimated aerobic capacity in overweight/obese postmenopausal women, while hematological and inflammatory outcomes were explored. Thirty overweight/obese postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to a Zumba group (ZG, n = 15) or a control group (CG, n = 15). Eight participants withdrew, and 22 completers (11/group) completed the study and were included in the per-protocol analysis. The ZG completed supervised 60 min sessions three times weekly for 12 weeks, whereas the CG maintained its usual lifestyle habits. Estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2 max), maximal aerobic speed (MAS), hematological parameters, and inflammatory biomarkers were assessed before and after the intervention. Intervention effects were assessed using baseline-adjusted analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Estimated VO 2 max was higher in the ZG than CG at follow-up (adjusted difference: 3.59 mL·kg -1 ·min -1 ; partial eta squared (ηp 2 ) = 0.683). Exploratory differences were observed for mean platelet volume (0.701 fL; ηp 2 = 0.400) and neutrophils (0.961 × 10 3 /μL; ηp 2 = 0.287), whereas no clear effects were identified for other hematological outcomes. Neither C-reactive protein nor erythrocyte sedimentation rate showed a clear effect. Zumba may improve estimated aerobic capacity, while the hematological

Findings: remain exploratory and hypothesis-generating.