Comparison of Three Selected Aerobic, Resistance and Concurrent Training Methods on Malondialdehyde and Heat Shock Protein-70 in Sedentary Older Women

Inactivity and aging are known to increase plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) levels associated with accumulation of oxidative damage. Moreover, it has been shown that the capacity to produce heat shock proteins (HSPs) decreases with aging. In contrast, regular physical activity is an important determinant in maintaining an optimal state of health, reducing oxidative stress, and preventing chronic diseases in elderly population. Hence, the present study was conducted to investigate and compare the effect of three aerobic, resistance, and concurrent training methods on the MDA and HSP70 in sedentery older Women.

In a randomized controlled clinical trial with pre-test and post-test design,48 sedentay older women were randomly assigned into four groups of control (n=12), aerobic (n=12), resistance (n=12), and concurrent exercise training (n=12). Participants in the training groups were assigned to to exercise training for eight weeks, while participants in the control group were advised to maintain their normal lifestyle during the study. Prior to and after the training,blood samples were evaluated. Data were analyzed running Covariance of analysis (ANCOVA) and bonferroni post hoc tests.

The results showed that after eight weeks of exercise training, the MDA level decreased significantly in all three training groups as compared with that of the control group (p=0.001).Moreover, all three exercise training methods significantly increased the HSP70 consentrainon in elderly women (p=0.000), and the difference of these indices between the training groups was not found to be significant (p>0.05).

In conclusion, it seems that the results of our study showed that exercise training (in different types) for eight weeks improved age-related deficits in HSP70 and it is an effective therapeutic method to modulate oxidative stress in sedentary older women.