The effect of eight weeks resistance training and electrical muscle stimulation on IGF1-r and irisin protein levels in middle-aged women

Obesity is one of the biggest health barriers among women and modulating the levels of skeletal muscle-related growth factors in obese middle-aged women can improve muscle hypertrophy and reduces fat mass. The aim of this study was the comparison of the effect of eight weeks resistance training and electromyostimulation training on IGF1-r and irisin protein levels in middle-aged women.

The present study was a semi-experimental, pretest-posttest with a control group. The population of the present study Were formed by obese women in Rasht with an age range of 40 to 50 years. A total of 45 obese subjects in 3 groups of resistance training (n=15), electromyostimulation training (EMS) (n=15) and control (n=15) were prepared for the study. The subjects of the training groups did special exercises for 8 weeks. Western blotting technique was used to measure the expression of proteins and was measured in the histogenic laboratory of Fanavaran Pasargad.

The results of the present study showed that after eight weeks of training, in the expression of irisin protein after intervention, both resistance training and EMS training increased the expression of irisin protein compared to the control group, which was significantly higherin EMS training (p≤0.05). In the expression of IGF-1 protein after the intervention, both resistance training and EMS training increased the expression of IGF-1 protein compared to the control group.

Resistance exercise training and electromyostimulation training may be an effective way to improve protein levels associated with skeletal muscle growth in middle-aged women. In addition, the intervention of electromyostimulation training played a more colorful role in the expression of these proteins.