Abstract
Excess body iron accumulation and oxidative stress has been associated with ageing. Regular exercise has been shown to reduce oxidative stress and induce some changes in iron metabolism. However, the effects of exercise on both of these parameters have been poorly investigated. In our study, 35 elderly women participated in 12 weeks of Nordic walking (NW) training (three times a week). We demonstrated that the training caused a significant reduction in malondialdehyde advanced oxidation protein products—markers of oxidative stress but had no effects on paraoxonase 1 activity. These changes were associated with the decrease of blood ferritin (99.4 ± 62.7 vs. 81.4 ± 61.7 ng/ml p < 0.05). Measurement of physical fitness revealed that the training caused a significant improvement in performance and a negative correlation between the blood ferritin and endurance test was recorded (r = −0.34, p = 0.03). In addition, a significant correlation between blood ferritin and fasting glucose level was noted. The training induced a rise of HDL cholesterol from 70.8 ± 19.3–75.3 ± 21.1, p < 0.05, whereas other lipid parameters remained unchanged. In conclusion, NW training reduced body iron stores and it was associated with lower oxidative stress and better endurance.
Highlights
11% of the world population are people above 60 years old, of which 14% are over 80 years old
We report that 12 weeks of Nordic walking (NW) training significantly diminish oxidative stress and that this was accompanied by lower blood ferritin and iron concentration
Analyses of lipid profile show the only change in highdensity lipoprotein which was significantly higher after the training (Table 2)
Summary
11% of the world population are people above 60 years old, of which 14% are over 80 years old. Physical activity is associated with increased consumption of oxygen in the muscles, which leads to an increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Part of the iron is released from the ferritin and irondependent ROS formation has been demonstrated (Borkowska et al 2011). Based on this and other studies it has become clear that stored iron is not safe, as suggested previously, and can determine free radicals-mediated damage (Fernandez-Real et al 2002; Sullivan 2004). Several studies have demonstrated that the higher the iron stores, the higher the risk of several morbidities including cancer, heart attack, diabetes and other (Jehn et al 2004)
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