The effect of resistance and aerobic exercises on the hormones of the HPA axis in patients with multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks itself and causes damage and inflammation. Cortisol, which is one of the most important hormones of the HPA axis, is directly related to the level of inflammation in the body of MS patients, and research has shown that disruption of this axis may cause changes in the symptoms of MS, so the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of two aerobic and resistance training programs on hormones. HPA axis in women with MS.

This semi-experimental research was conducted with the participation of 30 women diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS (with a disability scale ranging from 0 to 5.5) within the age range of 25 to 50. The participants were randomly divided into three groups: aerobic exercise (10 participants), resistance exercise (10 participants), and control group (10 participants). The patients engaged in exercise sessions three times a week for 8 weeks, including warm-up, resistance training, aerobic exercises, and cooldown. All movements were designed to be performed in a home environment. Trainers ensured exercise quality through video calls. Blood samples were collected from the participants' brachial before and after the protocol. Data analysis employed tow-way ANOVA with repeated measures and Bonferroni’s post hoc test. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 26 software, with a significance level of 0/05.

 The studied exercise protocol did not show the ability to make significant changes in the hormones of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis in women with MS. In fact the level of cortisol (P=0.946) has been increased but likewise the other hormones such as dopamine (P=0.561), testosterone (P=0.714) and adrenocorticotropin (P=0.933) there were no significant change as a response to training interference.

 Based on the results of the current study, 8 weeks of aerobic and resistance exercises (home-based training) did not show the ability to significantly alter the hormonal levels of the HPA axis in patients with depression and relatively limited mobility.