فصلنامه علوم زیستی ورزشی
پیاپی 56 (بهار 1402)

The present study aimed to investigate the interaction effects of vitamin D and calcium, and High-Intensity Circuit Training (HICT) on BDNF and fat percentage of overweight elderly.

Thirty-two healthy older women were randomly divided into four Training + Supplementation, Training + Placebo, Supplementation, and Control groups. The training protocol performed three sessions per week for eight weeks. The Supplementation groups consumed 1,000 mg of calcium-effervescent tablet daily and 50,000 IU of vitamin D per week.

The results showed that the body fat percentage in the Training + Supplementation group decreased significantly compared with Supplementation (p = 0.001), Control (p = 0.001), and Training + Placebo (p = 0.045) groups. Moreover, the fat percentage in the Training + Placebo group decreased significantly compared with the Control group (p = 0.001). However, there were no significant differences between the Training + Placebo and Supplementation groups in body fat percentage. Moreover, there was a significant decrease in fat percentage in the Supplementation group compared with the Control group (p = 0.047). BDNF in the Training + Supplementation group had a significant increase compared with the Supplementation (p = 0.002) and Control (p = 0.001) groups but had no significant difference compared with the Training + Placebo (p = 0.085) group. Moreover, there was a significant increase in BDNF in the Training + Placebo group compared with Control (p = 0.003) and Supplementation (p = 0.01) groups. In contrast, no significant difference was observed between Supplementation and Control (p = 0.985) groups.  

Overall, the interaction of training and supplementation showed a significant decrease in the body fat percentage and a significant increase in BDNF in overweight elderly.

The Ubiquitin pathway is responsible for muscle atrophy; the Atrogin-1 or muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx) and the muscle Ring-Finger protein-1 (MuRF1) are the important factors in this pathway. This study aimed to investigate the effect of endurance training on the intracellular content of proteins related to the Ubiquitin-Proteasome pathway in the left ventricular tissue of rats with type-2 diabetes. 

In this experimental study, 18 three-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats with a mean weight of 270±20 grams were selected. Type-2 diabetes was induced in 12 rats by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin and nicotinamide solutions. These rats were randomly divided into two diabetic training and diabetic control groups. A healthy control group (six rats in each group) was also considered. The training group did endurance training four days a week according to the training program for eight weeks. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc tests via SPSS software version 23.

MAFbx protein content showed a significant change after eight weeks of endurance training (P=0.0001); Tukey's post hoc test showed that this significant change was between pairs of the diabetic training compared with diabetic control (decrease) groups (P=0.0001)  and diabetic training compared with the healthy control (increase) groups (P=0.004). MuRF1 protein content showed a significant decrease (P=0.0001); This reduction was significant between pairs of diabetic training compared with diabetic control groups (P=0.0001).

Endurance training can prevent atrophy and lead to proper left ventricular function by reducing the content of MAFbx and MuRF1 proteins in the heart of diabetic rats.

The present study aimed to determine the effect of 12-week concurrent training on gene expression of some pro-inflammatory cytokines and to evaluate hormone levels of obese postmenopausal women.

In this quasi-experimental research, 30 sedentary and obese PW were recruited and randomly divided into Concurrent Training (CT, n=15) and Control (CG, n=15) groups. Participants of the experimental group took part in 12-week supervised intervention training for five days a week, including two sessions of 60-minute resistance training and three sessions of 30-minute aerobic training. Blood samples were taken from the volunteers to measure estradiol, free estradiol, and mRNA expression levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Quantitative gene expression was evaluated using the 2-∆∆ct method and REST software. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check the normal distribution of the data, and repeated measurements analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were used to compare the groups at a significance level of α=0.05.

In response to the training protocol, the CT group experienced a reduction in fat mass (-9.6%; P<0.05) and an increase in lean body mass (2.4%; P<0.05). The Circulating levels of free Estradiol (−10.70%; P<0.05), and levels of gene expression of IL-6 (P=0.03) and TNF-α (P=0.000) significantly decreased in the CT group compared with the CG group. But there was no significant difference in Estradiol in the CT group compared with the CG group (P<0.05).

The concurrent training and exercise-induced fat mass loss seem to modify the sex hormones profile and levels of gene expression of IL-6 and TNF-α in PW Prone to breast cancer. Thus, this study provides additional evidence of the intricate interaction of inflammatory markers, adipose tissue, and muscle mass in PW Prone to breast cancer.

Hypertension and dyslipidemia are risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and are the leading causes of death. However, taking herbal supplements and physical activity engagement can help prevent this disease. Therefore, the present study investigated the effect of chitosan supplementation and combined exercise on blood pressure and lipid profile in women with hypertension.

The study was conducted as a clinical trial on 40 women with high blood pressure. The participants were randomly divided into four Chitosan Supplement (N=10), Combined Exercise (N=10), Chitosan Supplements + Combined Exercise (N=10), and Control (N=10) groups. For combined exercise, participants performed aerobic exercise for eight weeks (three days a week) followed by resistance training, while for the supplement, participants consumed four grams of Chitosan daily (eight capsules of  500 mg each). Blood sampling and blood pressure measurements were conducted before eight weeks and again 48 hours after the last exercise and supplementation session and all the measurements were recorded.

Statistical analysis of data was done via SPSS version 23 using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Covariance at a significant level of P≤0.05. The highest mean value of post-test systolic blood pressure (141.9±9.8), and post-test total cholesterol (213.28±3.9) was observed in the participants of the Combined Exercise group. The results of the between-group comparison indicated a significant improvement in systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglyceride, VLDL, and LDL indices. In diastolic blood pressure and HDL indices, the results were close to the significant level.

Overall, the results showed that the consumption of Chitosan supplements and combined exercise have beneficial effects on the blood pressure and lipid profile of women with high blood pressure.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on serum leptin levels in individuals with and without chronic diseases.

In this research, a systematic search was conducted in Persian and English articles published until December 2022, in Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, SID, and Magiran databases using relevant keywords. After selecting the desired articles based on the inclusion criteria, a meta-analysis of the results was performed. Effect size (SMD) and 95% confidence interval were calculated using CMA2 software. The I2 test was used to identify the heterogeneity, and for the publication bias, the Funnel Plot test and the Egger test were used. All analyzes were performed using CMA2 software.

The results of data analysis showed that HIIT led to a significant decrease in serum leptin [-0.28 (CI: -0.07 to 0.48, p=0.008)]. Also, the data analysis of 9 interventions showed that there was no significant difference between HIIT and Medium Intensity Continuous Training (MICT) on circulating leptin levels [-0.03 (0.27 to 0.34 CI, p=0.82)]. The results of the subgroup analysis based on the health status of the subjects showed that HIIT resulted in a significant decrease in leptin in individuals with chronic diseases.

HIIT leads to a decrease in circulating leptin levels, especially in individuals with chronic diseases. Despite the lack of significant differences between HIIT and MICT, HIIT is a time-efficient intervention for leptin reduction.

Obesity and overweight are metabolic disorders in which fat tissue levels are influential in this disorder. The current research aimed to investigate the effect of eight weeks of endurance, resistance, and high-intensity interval training on the SREBP-1 and 12.13.diHome gene expression in male obese Wistar rats.

In the current study, 36 obese male Wistar rats (eight weeks old rats with a weight of 325 ± 40 grams) were randomly divided into four Endurance (n=10), Resistance (n=8), High-Intensity Interval Training (n=10) and Control (n=8) groups. The rats in the experimental groups performed five sessions of endurance training at an intensity of 70-80% of the maximum speed, resistance training at an intensity of 50-120% of the body weight, and HIIT at an intensity of 85-90% of the maximum speed for eight weeks. To measure SREBP-1 and 12.13.diHome gene expression, the Real Time-PCR method was used. The statistical method of one-way analysis of variance with Tukey's post hoc test was used to determine the difference between groups at a significant level of α= 0.05.

The results of the present study showed that all three training models of endurance, resistance, and HIIT caused a significant increase in the expression of the 12.13.diHome gene and a significant decrease in SREBP-1 compared with the control group (P<0.05), but no significant difference was observed among the experimental groups (P>0.05).

To lose weight, it is suggested to use endurance, resistance, and HIIT training to reduce the expression of the SREBP-1 gene and increase 12.13.diHome, which are factors influencing lipolysis and lipogenesis.