Abstract
BackgroundData in the literature concerning the effects of physical activity on lipid and IGF-1levels are controversial in postmenopausal women. The aim of the present study was to determine the combined effects of a 12 weeks home-based walking program aiming to achieve 10,000 steps daily and a center- based aerobic exercise training on functional capacity, some important cardio-metabolic parameters, IGF-1 level and psychological items among elderly female patients. Sixty female patients (67.4 ± 5 years) with moderate to high cardiovascular risk were randomly assigned either to an exercise training program for 12 weeks or to the control group.ResultsOur organized training program resulted in a significantly improved daily physical activity (4232 [IQR: 3162–7219] to 8455 [IQR: 6757–11,488]; p < 0.001 ft-steps), functional capacity (MET) (8.17 ± 1.57 to 8.87 ± 1.76) (p = 0.002), metabolic status including total cholesterol (5.17 ± 1.13 to 4.77 ± 1.12 mmol/l), LDL cholesterol (3.37 ± 1.05 to 2.81 ± 0.98 mmol/l), triglyceride (1.68 ± 0.71 to 1.28 ± 0.71 mmol/l) and HgbA1c (6.24 ± 0.67 to 6.06 ± 0.58 mmol/l), as well as IGF-1 (59.68 ± 27.37 to 66.79 ± 22.74 ng/ml) levels (p < 0.05) in the training group. From psychological tests only physical functionality improved significantly (p = 0.03) in the training group. The training group significantly differed from the control group in four parameters including MET (p = 0.003), LDL-cholesterol (p = 0.046), triglyceride (p = 0.001) and IGF-1 levels (p < 0.001) after the intervention.ConclusionThe applied home-, and- center based training program effectively increased the daily physical activity of the elderly female patients and improved several cardio-metabolic parameters. Further investigations are needed on larger patient population to establish our findings and examine how these positive changes may decrease CV events and mortality.
Highlights
Data in the literature concerning the effects of physical activity on lipid and IGF-1levels are controversial in postmenopausal women
Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is a basic peptide composed of 70 amino acids, which is thought to play a central role in metabolism [18], cancer development [19], CV diseases [20] and aging [21]
A population-based study examining the association of different IGF-1 levels with mortality, cardiovascular disease, and cancer in the elderly has found a Ushaped relationship between IGF-1 level and fatal CV diseases, which means that both high and low levels of IGF-1 were associated with increased risk of CV mortality
Summary
Data in the literature concerning the effects of physical activity on lipid and IGF-1levels are controversial in postmenopausal women. The aim of the present study was to determine the combined effects of a 12 weeks home-based walking program aiming to achieve 10,000 steps daily and a center- based aerobic exercise training on functional capacity, some important cardio-metabolic parameters, IGF-1 level and psychological items among elderly female patients. In adults high levels of IGF-1 are associated with increased cancer risk [22] and CV diseases. A population-based study examining the association of different IGF-1 levels with mortality, cardiovascular disease, and cancer in the elderly has found a Ushaped relationship between IGF-1 level and fatal CV diseases, which means that both high and low levels of IGF-1 were associated with increased risk of CV mortality. Some investigations have demonstrated positive effect of especially resistance training on IGF1 levels [31,32,33,34], while aerobic exercise training had no considerable effect on IGF-1 concentrations [33, 35, 36]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
