training group that performed the resistance program. All participants were personally supervised by physical education professionals with substantial RT experience. The sessions were performed 3 times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The RT program was performed in the following order: chest press, horizontal leg press, seated row, knee extension, preacher curl (free weights), leg curl, triceps pushdown, and seated calf raise. Participants of the TG performed 3 sets of 10-15 repetition maximums. Participants were afforded a 1 to 2 min rest interval between sets and 2 to 3 min between each exercise. The training load was consistent with the prescribed number of repetitions for the three sets of each exercise

control group that did not perform any type of physical exercise

The investigation was carried out over a period of 18 weeks, with 12 weeks dedicated to the RT program and 6 weeks allocated for measurements. Anthropometric, one repetition maximum tests (1RM), body composition, blood pressure (BP), dietary intake and blood sample measurements were performed in weeks 1-3, and 16-18. A supervised progressive RT program was performed between weeks 4-15 by the training group.

Measurements of TNF-α, and IL-6, were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), according to the specifications of the manufacturer (Quantikine High Sensitivity Kit, R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN) and performed in a microplate reader Perkin Elmer, model EnSpire (Waltham, MA, USA). The results are presented in picograms per milliliter (pg/ml). All samples were determined in duplicate to guarantee the precision of the results.

Venous blood samples were collected after a 12 h fast and a minimum of 72 h after the final physical exercise session. Five milliliters were withdrawn from a prominent superficial vein in the antecubital space using a clean venous puncture with minimal stasis and placed in a tube containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as an anticoagulant and conservant and a tube without coagulant. All samples were centrifuged for 15 min, and plasma or serum aliquots were stored at -80ºC until assayed. Measurements of glucose, high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TG), were immediately determined in a specialized laboratory at University Hospital. The analyses were carried out using a biochemical auto-analyzer system (Dimension RxL Max - Siemens Dade Behring) according to established methods in the literature, consistent with the manufacturer's recommendations. The results are presented in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)

Insulin was measured by chemiluminescence using a Liaison XL analyzer (DiaSorin S.p.A., Saluggia, Italy). The homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) was calculated by the formula: fasting insulin (μUI/ml) x fasting glucose (mmol/L)/22.5. Inter- and intra-assay coefficients of variation were <10% as determined in human plasma.

Resting BP assessment was performed using automatic oscillometric equipment (Omron HEM-742INT model, Omron Corporation, Kyoto, Kansai, Japan). Participants attended the laboratory on three different days and, during each visit, remained seated at rest for five minutes with the cuff of the equipment in place on the right arm. Subsequently, several BP measurements were performed at one-minute intervals in order to obtain three consecutive measurements where the difference in Systolic BP (SBP) and Diastolic BP (DBP) readings differed by no more than 4 mmHg. The median of the three measurements for each day was averaged across the three visits. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was calculated using the formula MAP= DBP + 1/3 (SBP-DBP). The results are presented in (mmHg)

Body mass was measured to the nearest 0.1 kg using a calibrated electronic scale (Balmak, Laboratory Equipment Labstore, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil), with the participants wearing light workout clothing and no shoes. Height was measured with a stadiometer attached to the scale to the nearest 0.1 cm, with subjects standing without shoes. Body mass index was calculated as body mass in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters.