The Effect of a Period of Aerobic Training on Serum Levels of IGF-1 and Thyroid Hormones in Women with Subclinical Hypothyroidism

The IGF-1 affects physiological processes in the body and its serum levels decrease in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a period of aerobic training on serum levels of IGF-1 in women with subclinical hypothyroidism. In this quasi-experimental study, after obtaining written consents, 25 women with subclinical hypothyroidism (aged 35.59 ± 3.83 years old) were assigned to three groups: drug-aerobic training (N=8), aerobic training (N=7), and drug (N=10). Aerobic training included three 60-minutes sessions per week for 5 months. The drug group included the inactive participants who took only LT4 tablets. Serum levels of IGF-1, triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured in the three groups after 5 months. The data were analyzed using SPSS 16 through analysis of variance. Aerobic activity resulted in significant changes in serum levels of IGF-1 and T4 (P≤0.05), This means that serum levels of IGF-1 in the drug- aerobic training and aerobic training groups were significantly higher than those in the drug group. Also, concentration of serum T4 was significantly lower in the drug- aerobic training and aerobic training groups than that in the drug group. No significant difference was observed in the concentrations of T3 and TSH among the groups. The results showed that 5 month of aerobic training increased the serum levels of IGF-1 in women with subclinical hypothyroidism, who are subjected to decreased IGF-1.