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Review
. 2021 Jun 30;30(2):132-140.
doi: 10.7570/jomes20100.

Does Obesity Affect the Severity of Exercise-Induced Muscle Injury?

Jooyoung Kim  1 , Jin Hwan Yoon  2
Affiliations
Review

Does Obesity Affect the Severity of Exercise-Induced Muscle Injury?

Jooyoung Kim et al. J Obes Metab Syndr. .

Abstract

This literature review investigates the effects of obesity on exercise-induced muscle injury and reexamines the potential mechanisms of exercise-induced muscle injury related to obesity. Several studies reported that high body mass index and percent body fat can significantly affect the markers of muscle injury after exercise, including maximal strength, delayed onset muscle soreness, creatinine kinase level, and myoglobin level. The potential mechanisms resulting in these outcomes include structural changes in the cell membrane induced by high fat levels, increased inflammatory responses due to adipose tissues, reduced muscle satellite cell activation and myogenesis due to lipid overload, differences in muscle fiber distributions, and sedentary behaviors. These mechanisms, however, must be verified through more research. As obesity is a potential risk factor increasing the severity of exercise-induced muscle injuries, the exercise intensity and duration for obese patients must be carefully selected, and a preconditioning intervention (e.g., low-intensity eccentric training) may be considered before or during the early stages of the exercise program.

Keywords: Adipose tissue; Body mass index; Creatine kinase; Exercise; Inflammation; Obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Jin Hwan Yoon is the Editorial Board member of the Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome. However, he is not involved in the peer reviewer selection, evaluation, or decision process of this article. Otherwise, no other potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

Figures

Figure. 1
Figure. 1
Change of maximal isometric strength after eccentric exercise according to body mass index (BMI). Normal BMI, 18.5–22.9 kg/m2; high BMI, ≥ 25 kg/m2. *Significant difference between groups (P < 0.05); †Significant between group (P< 0.01). Data from Kim and So.
Figure. 2
Figure. 2
Change of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after eccentric exercise according to body mass index (BMI). Normal BMI, 18.5–22.9 kg/m2; high BMI, ≥ 25 kg/m2. *Significant difference between groups (P< 0.05). Data from Kim and So.
Figure. 3
Figure. 3
Change of creatine kinase (A) and myoglobin (B) after eccentric exercise according to body fat percentage (%fat). High %fat, ≥ 20%; low %fat, ≤ 15%. Data from Yoon and Kim.
Figure. 4
Figure. 4
Potential mechanisms related to exercise-induced muscle injury and obesity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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