STUDYING THE EFFECT OF 8 WEEKS OF HICT ON SERUM LEVELS OF BDNF AND IRISIN AND BODY WEIGHT IN ELDERLY WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME

Physical activity is an effective stimulant for improving the health of elderly people with metabolic syndrome by increasing energy consumption and thus reducing body fat. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of high intensity circuit training (HICT) on serum BDNF and Irisin levels and body weight in elderly women with metabolic syndrome in Khorramabad city.

In this semi-experimental study, 18 females (age 71.00 ± 6.17 years; weight 62.22 ± 9.18 kg; height 153.67 ± 3.27 cm) with metabolic syndrome voluntarily participated. During their daily routine, the subjects participated in an 8-week HICT protocol that performed 3 sessions per week. 24 hours before the training protocol and 48 hours after the training protocol, the fasting blood sample was taken by the laboratory expert between 7:30 minutes to 8 hours. ELISA kits were used to measure serum levels of BDNF and Irisin. The paired-Samples T test was used to identify any significant differences and statistical significance was set at p < .05.

The results showed a significant increase in serum BDNF (p = .001) and Irisin (p = .033) levels and significant decrease in body weight (p = .001) in comparison with pre-test values in elderly women with metabolic syndrome.

High intensity circuit training in elderly women with metabolic syndrome increases serum BDNF and Irisin concentrations and possibly, the increase in these two factors can have beneficial effects on the lipid profile and finally body weight of these individuals.