Swimming training and caffeine supplementation protects against metabolic syndrome-induced nuclear factor-κB activation and cognitive deficits in rats.

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a disorder that increasingly affects the world population, mainly because of changes in lifestyle and dietary habits. In this regard, both physical exercise and caffeine are low-cost and easily accessible therapies that separately have shown positive effects against metabolic disorders. Therefore, we hypothesized that physical exercise combined with caffeine could have a synergistic effect in the treatment of MS, risk factors, and cognitive deficits. Animals were divided into 8 groups and received fructose (15% w/v) or vehicle for 10 weeks. Swimming training and caffeine (6 mg/kg) started 4 weeks after fructose administration. Trained animals presented decreased body weight and visceral fat mass and increased soleus weight compared with untrained fructose-treated animals. Caffeine supplementation also prevented the gain of visceral fat mass induced by fructose. Furthermore, both treatments reversed fructose-induced decrease in glucose clearance over time and fructose-induced increase in 4-hydroxynonenal and nuclear factor-κB immunoreactivity. Physical training also improved the lipidic profile in fructose-treated animals (high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, and triglycerides), improved short-term, long-term, and localization memory, and reversed the fructose-induced deficit in short-term memory. Physical training also increased nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 immunoreactivity per se. Considering that physical training and caffeine reversed some of the damages induced by fructose it is plausible to consider these treatments as alternative, nonpharmacological, and low-cost therapies to help reduce MS-associated risk factors; however, combined treatments did not show additive effects as hypothesized.

Aptidão física relacionada ao desempenho motor de adolescentes de Uruguaiana, Rio Grande do Sul / Motor performance related physical fitness in adolescents from Uruguaiana, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil

A aptidão física dos jovens vem sendo amplamente estudada. A principal justificativa é a associação das variáveis que há compõem com indicadores de saúde. Outro conjunto de variáveis da aptidão física se relaciona com a capacidade de execução de tarefas, estas variáveis são denominadas aptidão física relacionada ao desempenho motor. Neste caso, há uma escassez de estudos comprometendo a indicação de um perfil para a aptidão física relacionada ao desempenho motor de adolescentes. O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever o nível de aptidão física relacionado ao desempenho motor em adolescentes. Foram avaliados 1.463 alunos entre 10 e 17 anos de ambos os sexos, estudantes de escolas públicas (municipais e estaduais) do município de Uruguaiana-RS. Para avaliar a aptidão física relacionada ao desempenho motor utilizou-se a bateria de testes (corrida de 20 metros, teste do quadrado, arremesso de medicine Ball, salto horizontal) e os critérios de classificação sugeridos pelo Projeto Esporte Brasil (PROESP-Br). As maiores frequências, para todas as variáveis, foram na classificação "fraco", tendo a agilidade a maior frequência em ambos os sexos. Mais de 50% dos alunos tiveram seus desempenhos classificados como "fraco" ou "razoável", sendo que as variáveis agilidade e força de membros inferiores foram as que obtiveram as maiores ocorrências desta classificação. A partir dos resultados encontrados, o nível de aptidão física relacionada ao desempenho motor de adolescentes de Uruguaiana-RS foi considerado baixo. Intervenções para o aumento da participação esportiva e em atividade físicas em geral devem ser elaboradas.(AU)

The physical fitness of young people has been widely studied. The main rationale for it is the association of their variables with health indicators. Another set of physical fitness variables relates to the task execution capacity. These variables are called motor performance related physical fitness. In this case, there is a lack of studies compromising the indication of a profile for the motor performance related physical fitness in adolescents. The aim of this study was to describe the level of physical fitness related to motor performance in adolescents. We evaluated 1,463 students between 10 and 17 years of both sexes, attending public schools (state and local) in the city of Uruguaiana-RS. To evaluate the motor performance related physical fitness we used the battery of tests (running 20 meters square test, throwing medicine ball, standing long jump) and the criteria of classification suggested by Brazil Sport Project (PROESP-Br). The highest frequencies for all variables were the "weak" classification, having the agility the higher frequency in both genders. Over 50% of adolescents had their performance classified as "weak" or "reasonable", and the agility and strength of lower limbs variables were the ones that had the highest frequencies of this classification. From the results found, the level of motor performance related physical fitness of adolescents from Uruguaiana-RS was considered low. Interventions for increasing sport participation and physical activity in general are to be compiled.(AU)