Effect of a period of combined and interval training on C Reactive protein and galactin levels in coronary heart disease

Immobility and movement restrictions are the cause of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular diseases are among the diseases related to inactivity and the main cause of death in the world. One of the main factors in the prevention and treatment of these diseases is to do sports activities. Since choosing the right exercise program for these patients is of great importance and limited researches have been done in this field; Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate the effect of a period combined and intermittent exercises on the levels of C-reactive protein and galectin in cardiac patients.

During this clinical trial, 36 cardiovascular patients (with an average age of 55.14±1.4, weight 78.6±5.1 and body mass index 27.81±33) were voluntarily selected and after matching, the sample were placed in 3 groups: combined training group (n=13), interval training group (n=12) and control group (n=11). Inclusion criteria included lack of functional capacity less than 5 met, not having tachycardia and bradycardia and injection fraction was higher than 30. Exit criteria also included doctor's diagnosis and unwillingness to continue the activity. The protocol of the combined training group included performing aerobic continuous training 2-3 times a week without performing interval training during the first 4 weeks, then performing aerobic continuous training 2 times a week and performing intermittent training once a week during the second 4 weeks. The protocol of the interval training group included performing interval training 2-3 times a week during the first 4 weeks and performing interval training 3 times a week during the second 4 weeks. Blood samples were taken 24 hours before the first training session and 48 hours after the last training session (in the same conditions for all three groups). Data analysis was done using dependent t statistical program, covariance (ANCOVA) and Post Hoc (Sheffe test) at a significance level of P<0.05.

The implementation of combined exercises and interval training has a significant effect on the reduction of C-reactive protein serum levels in combined exercise by 1.59 ± 0.11, P˂0.05, in interval training by 1.03 ± 0.08, P˂0.001 showed. Also, the number of changes in galectin-3 in combined training was 4.51 ± 0.28, P˂0.005, in intermittent training it was 2.32 ± 0.14, P˂0.004 compared to the control group with values of 0/034 ± 0/002, P˂0/316 was observed. In inter-group comparison with analysis of covariance, the inter-group changes for C-reactive protein were 1.38 ± 0.15, P˂0.001 and for galectin-3 it was 1.05 ± 0.11, P˂0.001.

It is likely that combined exercises and intermittent exercise are effective in reducing the serum levels of C-reactive protein and galectin-3 in cardiovascular patients, and causes a further decrease in the levels of these two inflammatory indicators (high levels of which are a sign of cardiovascular diseases). As a result, according to the specific results, it is likely that combined training is more effective in reducing the risk factors of heart disease than intermittent training. And it can be prescribed to improve the health of heart patients.