Impact of high intensity interval and moderate continuous training on plasma ratios of ProBNP1-108/BNP1-32 and NT-pro-BNP1-76/BNP1-32 after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.

Background: ProBNP1-108/BNP1-32, and NT-pro-BNP1-76/BNP1-32 ratios are significant indices for predicting complications after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. However, the effect of aerobic training types on these biomarkers has not been fully understood. So, the current study aimed to determine the impact of aerobic interval and continuous training programs on plasma ratios of ProBNP1-108/BNP1-32 and NT-pro-BNP1-76/BNP1-32 after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. Method: 36 patients were selected purposive (27 men and 9 women with mean of age 60.32 ± 5.81 years, height 164.64 ± 9.25 cm, weight 73.86 ± 14.23 kg, fat 32.30 ± 4.28, SBP 142.67 ± 6.49, DBP 84.5 ± 5.16 mmHg in seated position at rest situation and functional capacity of 7.08 ± 2.49 METs) and then divided randomly into three groups: control (C) group (without training program) moderate continuous training (MCT) and high intensity interval training (HIIT) (exercise training program was performed 3 days/week for 8 weeks) with intensities 65%-80% and 80%-95% of reserve heart rate in order. Blood samples were taken 48 h before the first session and 48 h after the last training session to measure the plasma levels of ProBNP1-108, corin enzyme, BNP1-32, and NT-pro-BNP1-76 using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Wilcoxin and kruskal wallis tests were used for analyzing data. Results: The plasma corin enzyme was increased, and the ratios of proBNP1-108/BNP1-32 and NT-pro-BNP1-76/BNP1-32 were reduced in both training groups in compared with control group (p = 0.004, p = 0000, p = 0.016, p = 0.003, p = 0.009, and p = 0.016) when there was no significant difference was found between training groups (p = 0.074, p = 450, and p = 0.295). Conclusion: Both high intensity interval training and moderate continuous training in compared with inactivity have positive effects on ratios of ProBNP1-108/BNP1-32, NT-pro-BNP1-76/BNP1-32 and could be effective to promote the health of coronary arteries and prevention of HF in post-CABG patients.

High-intensity circuit training change serum myostatin but not myogenin in adolescents' soccer players: a quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Skeletal muscle contractions due to exercise lead to the secretion of many proteins and proteoglycan peptides called myokines. Myostatin (MSTN) and Myogenin (MyoG) are two of the most important skeletal muscle growth regulatory factors related to myoblast differentiation and muscle hypertrophy. The present study aims at investigating the effects over eight weeks of high-intensity circuit training (HICT) on serum MyoG and MSTN in male soccer players. METHOD: The present study is a quasi-experimental study on 21 male soccer players (Experimental group: n = 11, Control group: n = 10) (ages 15.0 ± 3.4 years, body mass 55.7 ± 7.8 kg, height 173.3 ± 8.0 cm, Body mass index 18.4 ± 1.9 kg m-2, maximum oxygen uptake 61.89 ± 3.01 ml kg-1 and the peak height velocity 14.5 ± 0.3 years). Participants were randomly divided into two groups: training group and a control group. The first resting blood samples were obtained in the morning-fasting state, and the second blood samples were obtained after the maximum aerobic test at pre- and post-HICT. RESULTS: There were non-significant differences in resting serum values of MyoG (p = 0.309, p > 0.05) but significant differences in resting serum values of MSTN between the training and control groups after eight weeks of HICT (p = 0.003, p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed between groups in the acute response of serum values of MyoG (p = 0.413, p < 0.05) and MSTN (p = 0.465, p < 0.05) to the maximum aerobic test after eight weeks of HICT. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that eight weeks of HICT can decrease the resting serum values of MSTN but not change the resting serum values of MyoG in male adolescent soccer players. Also, eight weeks of HICT does not affect the acute response of MSTN and MyoG after a maximum aerobic test.

Improved blood pressure and flow-mediated dilatation via increased plasma adropin and nitrate/nitrite induced by high-intensity interval training in patients with type 2 diabetes.

NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? Exercise training increases adropin and nitrite/nitrate (NOx) plasma levels in middle-aged and older healthy people. We hypothesized that high-intensity interval training may improve blood pressure and flow-mediated dilatation through the effects of adropin and NOx in patients of this age with type 2 diabetes. What is the main finding and its importance? High-intensity interval training may be more effective than moderate-intensity continuous training in improving endothelial function, blood pressure and flow-mediated dilatation through its effects on adropin and NOx in patients with type 2 diabetes. ABSTRACT: Adropin is a newly identified bioactive protein that is important in energy hemostasis and vascular endothelial function. Lower levels of adropin in patients with type 2 diabetes are related to coronary atherosclerosis, characterized by impaired flow-mediated dilatation (FMD). The purpose of the present study was to investigate FMD and plasma levels of adropin and nitrite/nitrate (NOx) in patients with type 2 diabetes at baseline and follow-up after 12 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). Sixty-six persons with type 2 diabetes were divided into HIIT, MICT, and control groups. The HIIT group intervention was 12 intervals (1.5 min) at 85-90% maximal heart rate (HRmax ) separated by 2 min at 55-60% HRmax in three sessions per week for 12 weeks. MICT training consisted of 42 min of cycling at 70% HRmax . Before and after the intervention, FMD was recorded with high-resolution Doppler ultrasound. Plasma levels of adropin and NOx were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. After training FMD was significantly higher in the MICT and HIIT groups compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Plasma levels of adropin and NOx were higher in both exercise groups, but the increase was greater in the HIIT group (P < 0.01). Peak oxygen consumption was increased after exercise training in both groups compared to the control group (P < 0.01). Percentage FMD showed a positive correlation with plasma levels of adropin and NOx (both P < 0.01), and a negative correlation with diastolic blood pressure (r = -0.530, P = 0.035) and systolic blood pressure (r = -0.606, P = 0.013) in the HIIT group. The results indicate that HIIT improved FMD whilst increasing adropin, NOx and peak oxygen consumption. Increased plasma levels of adropin may contribute, in part, to blood pressure reduction by increasing nitric oxide production.

The effects of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) in conjunction with concurrent training on body composition, glycaemic status, and inflammatory markers in obese men with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized double-blind clinical trial.

AIMS: Chronic inflammation is one of the major challenges in the management of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Our primary aim was to assess the anti-inflammatory effects of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) supplementation and concurrent training in obese men with T2DM. METHODS: Sixty obese men with T2DM (age = 39 ± 5 years; body mass = 93.9 ± 6 kg) were randomly assigned to four groups; concurrent training + placebo (CT; n = 15), saffron supplementation (S; n = 15), concurrent training + saffron supplementation (CTS; n = 15), or control (CON; n = 15). The participants in the CT group performed concurrent training (resistance + aerobic) three times per week for 12 weeks and received daily one pill of placebo (maltodextrin); the participants in the S group supplemented with one pill of 100 mg of saffron daily, and the participants in the CTS group participated in both saffron and training intervention while CON group continued regular lifestyle (no training and no supplementation). Inflammatory markers, body composition (evaluated by a multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance device; Jawon X-Contact 356), and metabolic profile were evaluated before and after interventions. RESULTS: All three interventions significantly (P < .05) decreased TNF-α (CT = -4.22, S = -1.91, CTS = -9.69 pg/mL), hs-CRP (CT = -0.13, S = -0.1, CTS = -0.32 ng/mL), IL-6 (CT = -6.84, S = -6.36, CTS = -13.55 pg/mL), IL-1ß (CT = -8.85, S = -6.46, CTS = -19.8 pg/mL), FBG (CT = -6.97, S = -2.45, CTS = -13.86 mg/dL), insulin (CT = -0.13, S = -0.03, CTS = -0.21 mU/L), HOMA-IR (CT = -0.12, S = -0.04, CTS = -0.21), HbA1c (CT = -0.17, S = -0.11, CTS = -0.26%), and increased IL-10 (CT = 1.09, S = 0.53, CTS = 2.27 pg/mL) concentrations. There was a positive correlation between changes in BFP with hs-CRP, IL-6, IL-1ß and TNF-α, and IL-10 concentrations across the intervention groups. Additionally, significant differences were observed between the changes for all variables in the CTS group compared to CT, S and CON groups (P < .05). CONCLUSION: It seems that an interaction of saffron supplementation and concurrent training has more efficient effects on anti-inflammatory status compared to saffron supplementation or concurrent training alone.

Metabolomics in Exercise and Sports: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Metabolomics is a field of omics science that involves the comprehensive measurement of small metabolites in biological samples. It is increasingly being used to study exercise physiology and exercise-associated metabolism. However, the field of exercise metabolomics has not been extensively reviewed or assessed. OBJECTIVE: This review on exercise metabolomics has three aims: (1) to provide an introduction to the general workflow and the different metabolomics technologies used to conduct exercise metabolomics studies; (2) to provide a systematic overview of published exercise metabolomics studies and their findings; and (3) to discuss future perspectives in the field of exercise metabolomics. METHODS: We searched electronic databases including Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the SpringerLink academic journal database between January 1st 2000 and September 30th 2020. RESULTS: Based on our detailed analysis of the field, exercise metabolomics studies fall into five major categories: (1) exercise nutrition metabolism; (2) exercise metabolism; (3) sport metabolism; (4) clinical exercise metabolism; and (5) metabolome comparisons. Exercise metabolism is the most popular category. The most common biological samples used in exercise metabolomics studies are blood and urine. Only a small minority of exercise metabolomics studies employ targeted or quantitative techniques, while most studies used untargeted metabolomics techniques. In addition, mass spectrometry was the most commonly used platform in exercise metabolomics studies, identified in approximately 54% of all published studies. Our data indicate that biomarkers or biomarker panels were identified in 34% of published exercise metabolomics studies. CONCLUSION: Overall, there is an increasing trend towards better designed, more clinical, mass spectrometry-based metabolomics studies involving larger numbers of participants/patients and larger numbers of metabolites being identified.

The Effects of Exercise on Cerebellar Growth-Associated Protein 43 and Adenylyl Cyclase- Associated Protein 1 Gene Expression and Proteins in Diabetic-Induced Neuropathy and Healthy Male Wistar Rats.

BACKGROUND: The effect of exercise on the cerebellum cells in diabetic-induced neuropathy and healthy situations is not clear yet. Growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43) and adenylyl cyclase-associated protein 1 (CAP-1) proteins can restore nerve cells. This study aimed to investigate the effect of aerobic exercise on GAP-43 and CAP-1 and their mRNA in the cerebellar tissue of diabetic-induced neuropathy and healthy Wistar rats. METHODS: Around 40 healthy male Wistar rats with a mean weight of 271 ± 11.2 g were divided randomly into four groups; healthy aerobic exercise, diabetic-aerobic exercise, healthy-control, and diabetic-control. The exercise group performed aerobic exercise 5 days per week for 6 weeks. RESULTS: Exercise increased CAP1 protein in the cerebellum tissue of healthy (P = 0.002) and diabetic (P = 0.002) groups compared with matched control groups. The effect of exercise on CAP1 was greater in diabetic compared with the healthy group (P = 0.002). The expression of CAP1 mRNA in the cerebellum was higher in the healthy exercise compared with the healthy control group (P = 0.002) and in the healthy exercise compared with the diabetic exercise group (P = 0.026). GAP43 protein was lower in the healthy exercise compared with the healthy control group (P = 0.002) while it was higher in diabetic exercise compared to the healthy exercise group (P = 0.002). Expression of GAP43 mRNA in the cerebellum was higher in the healthy (P = 0.002) and diabetic (P = 0.002) exercise groups compared to non-exercise matched groups and in the diabetic control group compared with the healthy control group (P = 0.002). Exercise improved latency in diabetic (P = 0.001) and healthy exercise groups (P = 0.02). No significant difference was found in blood glucose between exercise and control groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Exercise improved cerebellar functions in healthy and diabetic rats, probably mediating by CAP1 protein, even without changing blood glucose.

Using Metabolomics to Differentiate Player Positions in Elite Male Basketball Games: A Pilot Study.

Purpose: The current study compared metabolic profiles and movement patterns between different player positions and explored relationships between indicators of internal and external loads during elite male basketball games. Methods: Five main players from 14 basketball teams (n = 70) were selected as subjects and defined as backcourt (positions 1-3) or frontcourt (positions 4-5) players. Video-based time motion analysis (VBTMA) was performed based on players' individual maximal speeds. Movements were classified into high and low intensity running with and without ball, high and low intensity shuffling, static effort and jumps. Saliva samples were collected before and after 40-min basketball games with metabolomics data being analyzed by multivariate statistics. Independent t-tests were used to compare VBTMA. Results: Frequency, duration, and distance of high and low intensity running and -shuffling were higher in backcourt players, whereas static effort duration and frequency as well as jump frequency were higher in frontcourt players (all p ≤ 0.05). The levels of taurine, succinic acid, citric acid, pyruvate, glycerol, acetoacetic acid, acetone, and hypoxanthine were higher in backcourt players, while lactate, alanine, 3-methylhistidine were higher and methionine was lower in frontcourt players (all p < 0.05). High intensity running with ball was significantly associated by acetylecholine, hopoxanthine, histidine, lactic acid and leucine in backcourt players (p < 0.05). Conclusion: We demonstrate different metabolic profiles of backcourt and frontcourt players during elite male basketball games; while aerobic metabolic changes are more present in backcourt players, frontcourt players showed lager changes in anaerobic metabolic pathways due to more static movements.

Impact of saffron (Crocus Sativus Linn) supplementation and resistance training on markers implicated in depression and happiness levels in untrained young males.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to assess the effects of six weeks of resistance training (RT) combined with saffron supplementation on markers implicated in depression as well as happiness levels in untrained young males. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Untrained young male participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: RT + saffron supplement (RS; n = 14) or RT + placebo (RP; n = 14). For 6 weeks, participants in the RS group took one 150 mg pill of pure saffron immediately after each RT session and at the same time on non-training days. Those assigned to the RP group took a dextrose pill. Concentrations of Anandamide (AEA), 2-Arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), serotonin, dopamine, ß-endorphin (beta-endorphin), tryptophan, happiness levels (via questionnaire), and body composition were assessed before and after the 6 weeks of whole-body supervised RT (4x/week, 3 sets using 60-70% of 1-repetition maximum [1-RM]). RESULTS: AEA (0.5 ng/ml), 2-AG (0.04 ng/ml), dopamine (0.7 ng/ml), and ß-endorphin (9.4 pg/ml) concentrations significantly increased in the RS group (P<0.05) while no changes were detected in the RP group. Serotonin (RS = 1.7 ng/mL and RP = 1 ng/mL) concentrations and happiness levels significantly increased in both groups with greater changes in RS group while tryptophan concentrations remained unchanged (P> 0.05). In addition, both groups significantly increased muscular endurance with greater changes in RS group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Six weeks of RT combined with saffron supplementation improved AEA, 2-AG, dopamine, ß-endorphin, and serotonin concentrations. Moreover, the addition of saffron supplement to chronic RT results in greater improvements in happiness levels than RT alone.

Gene expression of angiogenesis and apoptotic factors in female BALB/c mice with breast cancer after eight weeks of aerobic training.

OBJECTIVES: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, caused by a disorder in the angiogenesis and apoptosis process. Exercise can affect the process of angiogenesis and apoptosis in the tumor tissue. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the changes in angiogenesis and apoptotic factors in mice with breast cancer after 8 weeks of exercise training. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen females BALB/c mice (age: 3-5 weeks and weight: 17.1 ± 0.1 g) with breast cancer were randomly divided into two groups of aerobic training and control. The aerobic training included 8 weeks and 5 sessions per week of running with an intensity of 14-20 m.min-1. HIF-1α, VEGF, miR-21 and cytochrome C, Apaf-1, caspase-9, and caspase-3 gene expressions were examined by real-time PCR. Repeated measures ANOVA, Bonferroni's post hoc test, and independent samples t-test were used to analyze the data (P<0.05). RESULTS: The results showed that aerobic training reduced the growth of tumor volume and significantly reduced miR-21 gene expression. Aerobic training also significantly increased the gene expression of HIF-1α, cytochrome C, Apaf-1, caspase-9, and caspase-3, while changes in VEGF gene expression were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: It appears that aerobic exercise training reduces tumor size and ameliorates breast cancer by reducing miR-21 gene expression, suppressing the apoptosis process, and reducing angiogenesis.

Metabolic load comparison between the quarters of a game in elite male basketball players using sport metabolomics.

Purpose: A basketball match is characterized by intermittent high-intensity activities, thereby relying extensively on both aerobic and anaerobic metabolic pathways. Here, we aimed to compare the metabolic fluctuations between the four 10-min quarters of high-level basketball games using metabolomics analyses. Methods: 70 male basketball players with at least 3 years of experience in the Iran national top-league participated. Before and after each quarter, saliva samples were taken for subsequent untargeted metabolomics analyses, where Principal component analysis (PCA) and Partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were employed for statistical analysis. Results: Quarters 1 and 3 showed similar metabolic profiles, with increased levels of ATP turnover (higher Lactate, Pyruvate, Succinic Acid, Citric Cid, Glucose and Hypoxanthine), indicating more reliance on anaerobic energy systems than quarters 2 and 4. In comparison, quarters 2 and 4 showed a reduction in Valine and Lucien and an increase in Alanine, Glycerol, AcetoAcetic Acid, Acetone, Succinic Acid, Citric Acid, Acetate and Taurine that was not present in quarters 1 and 3, indicating greater reliance of aerobic energy contribution, fat metabolism and gluconeogenesis. Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that the higher intensity of movements in the first quarter, where players are more rested, induce an increase in anaerobic energy contribution. This seems to be the case also for the third quarter that follows 15 min of rest, whereas the accumulated fatigue and reduction of high-intensity movements in the second and fourth quarters also reduces the speed of energy production and players thereby utilize more aerobic energy.

The effect of 12-week resistance exercise training on serum levels of cellular aging process parameters in elderly men.

BACKGROUND: Regular physical activity has a positive effect on the prevention of cellular aging. The present study investigated the effect of 12-week resistance training (RT) on serum levels of Sirtuin-1 (SIRT1), Sirtuin-3 (SIRT3), Sirtuin-6 (SIRT6), Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC1-α), and telomerase enzyme in elderly men. METHODS: For this purpose, 30 elderly men (age 66.23 ± 0.57 years) were randomly divided into two groups: resistance training group (RET, n = 15) and control group (CTR, n = 15). Participants in RET performed RT protocols with intensity of 60% one-repetition maximum (3×/week, 4 sets of the six exercise circuits). Body composition, physical functioning and, blood samples were assessed before (pre-test) and after (post-test) a 12-week intervention. RESULTS: The results showed that there was a significant increase in serum levels of SIRT1 (P = 0.001), SIRT3 (P = 0.001), SIRT6 (P = 0.02), PGC1-α (P = 0.001), and telomerase enzyme (P = 0.001) in RET. Also, we found a significant difference between the RET and CTR in serum levels of SIRT1 (P = 0.001), SIRT3 (P = 0.001), SIRT6 (P = 0.037), PGC1-α (P = 0.007), and telomerase enzyme (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: 12-Week RT increased the levels of proteins associated with the biological aging process in elderly men. It seems that the RT may have beneficial effects on cellular senescence and also improved impaired mitochondrial protein and enzymatic functional induced aging.

Improved carotid intima-media thickness-induced high-intensity interval training associated with decreased serum levels of Dkk-1 and sclerostin in type 2 diabetes.

AIMS: Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) is a validated surrogate marker of atherosclerosis. Dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1) and sclerostin modulate wingless signaling, which is involved in atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether 12 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) would improve cIMT and serum Dkk-1 and sclerostin levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Seventy-four sedentary patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly divided into HIIT and control groups. The HIIT group intervention was 6 intervals (4 min) at 85%-90% HRmax separated by 3 min at 45%-50% HRmax in 3 sessions/week for 12 weeks. Before and after the intervention, cIMT, artery diameter and wall/lm ratio were recorded with high-resolution ultrasound. Serum sclerostin and Dkk-1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: cIMT decreased significantly in the HIIT group (0.83 ±â€¯0.17 baseline, 0.71 ±â€¯0.14 follow-up) compared to the control group (0.84 ±â€¯0.20 baseline, 0.85 ±â€¯0.19 follow-up) (P < .05). Dkk-1 and sclerostin decreased significantly after 12 weeks of HIIT (P < .01). In addition, VO2peak was increased in the HIIT group than the control group (by 6.2 mL/kg/min) (P < .05). There was a positive correlation between percent changes in cIMT and percent changes in Dkk-1 and sclerostin (both P < .01). Additionally, there were a negative correlation between percent changes VO2peak and cIMT (r = - 0.740, P = .003), Dkk-1 (r = - 0.844, P < .001) and sclerostin (r = - 0.575, P = .001) in HIIT group. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that HIIT decreases cIMT, serum levels of Dkk-1 and sclerostin and improves VO2peak in patients with type 2 diabetes.

High-intensity interval training increase GATA4, CITED4 and c-Kit and decreases C/EBPß in rats after myocardial infarction.

AIM: Myocardial infarction (MI), an important cause of morbidity and mortality, can be followed by left ventricular dysfunction and cardiomyocyte loss. Cardiac repair mechanisms may subsequently improve left ventricular function. Exercise training has been suggested to have cardioprotective effects against MI damage, but detailed knowledge is lacking on the effects of different types and intensities of exercise training on molecular targets of cardiomyocyte regeneration. MAIN METHODS: MI was induced in male Wistar rats by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. After MI induction, the rats were randomly assigned to one of five groups: sham operated, and experimental MI followed by no exercise, or low, moderate or high intensity exercise Cardiac function and infarct size were assessed by echocardiography and Evans blue/TTC staining, respectively. The expression of mRNA markers and proteins associated with myocardial regeneration was measured with RT-PCR and western blotting. KEY FINDINGS: Exercise training at different intensities improved cardiac function and levels of stem cell and cardiomyocyte markers, and reduced infarct size. mRNA levels of GATA4, Nkx2.5 and c-Kit and protein expression of Nkx2.5 and c-Kit were significantly increased in all MI-exercise groups. The high-intensity exercise group had greater increases than the low and moderate intensity exercise groups. In the high-intensity exercise group, Sca-1 and CITED4 increased more than in the low-intensity exercise group. C/EBPß mRNA and protein levels decreased after exercise training, with greater reductions in the high-intensity exercise group than the low- or moderate-intensity groups. SIGNIFICANCE: The findings suggest that by targeting cardiogenesis, high-intensity training can exert cardioprotective effects against cardiac dysfunction in an experimental model of MI.

Improvement in Skeletal Muscle Strength and Plasma Levels of Follistatin and Myostatin Induced by an 8-Week Resistance Training and Epicatechin Supplementation in Sarcopenic Older Adults.

To investigate the effects of resistance training and epicatechin supplementation on muscle strength, follistatin, and myostatin in older adults with sarcopenia, a total of 62 males with sarcopenia (68.63 ± 2.86 years) underwent a supervised 8-week randomized controlled trial. Participants were divided into resistance training (RT), epicatechin (EP), resistance training+epicatechin (RT+EP), and placebo (PL) in a double-blind method. A pretest and posttest measurement was conducted. One-way analysis of variance was used to analyze between-group differences. The significantly greatest increase was observed in follistatin, follistatin/myostatin ratio, leg press, and chest press in RT+EP comparing RT, EP, and PL groups, whereas myostatin decreased significantly only in RT+EP and RT groups. However, appendicular muscle mass index and timed up and go test were enhanced significantly in all experimental groups than the PL group (p ≤ .05). Consequently, by comparing the results between three experimental groups, the greatest improvement was detected in the RT+EP group. Therefore, using two interventions simultaneously seems to have a better impact on improving muscle growth factors and preventing the progression of sarcopenia.

Preconception endurance training with voluntary exercise during pregnancy positively influences on remodeling markers in female offspring bone.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we investigate the effects of preconception endurance training with or without voluntary exercise during pregnancy on indices of bone formation and resorption in female offspring bone. METHODS: Twenty-four C57BL/6 female mice were randomly divided into four groups: trained in preconception period and exercised during pregnancy (TE); trained in preconception periods but unexercised during pregnancy (TC); untrained in preconception periods but exercised during pregnancy (CE); untrained and unexercised (CC). Trained dams were subjected to a protocol of moderate exercise training over a period of 4 weeks before pregnancy. Analyses were performed on the adult female offspring that did not have access to running wheels in any portion of their lives. RESULTS: The OPG, Runx2, COLI, ALP, and OPN mRNA expression was significantly up-regulated in offspring born to dams that was trained in preconception period. However, there was no significant difference in OPG, COLI, Runx2, and ALP expression in TE and TC offspring (p > 0.05). RANKL and osteocalcin expression were significantly down-regulated in TE offspring group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Improved physical fitness in preconception period results in significant changes in bone gene expressions of female offspring, in particular towards osteogenic responses with improved RANKL/OPG ratio.

The effectiveness of two energy drinks on selected indices of maximal cardiorespiratory fitness and blood lactate levels in male athletes.

BACKGROUND: Consumption of energy drinks has become widespread among athletes. The effectiveness of Red Bull and Hype energy drinks on selected indices of maximal cardiorespiratory fitness and blood lactate levels in male athletes was examined in this study. METHODS: TEN MALE STUDENT ATHLETES (AGE: 22.4 ± 2.1 years, height: 180.8 ± 7.7 cm, weight: 74.2 ± 8.5 kg) performed three randomized maximal oxygen consumption tests on a treadmill. Each test was separated by four days and participants were asked to ingest Red Bull, Hype or placebo drinks 40 minutes before the exercise bout. The VO (2max), time to exhaustion, heart rate and lactate were measured to determine if the caffeine-based beverages influence performance. ANOVA test was used for analyzing data. RESULTS: A greater value was observed in VO (2max)and time to exhaustion for the Red Bull and Hype trial compared to the placebo trial (p < 0.05). No significant difference was found in pre-and post-test heart rate for two drinks (p > 0.05). For blood lactate levels no significant changes were observed before and two minute after the test (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Ingestion of Red Bull and Hype prior to exercise testing is effective on some indices of cardiorespiratory fitness but not on the blood lactate levels.