High-intensity combination exercise has the highest effect on increasing serum irisin and interleukin 6 levels in women with obesity

OBJECTIVES

Lifestyle, overnutrition, socioeconomic status, environmental conditions, and genetics are factors that cause obesity. Lifestyle modification with a nonpharmacological approach based on physical exercise is the starting point in overcoming obesity. However, physical exercise with the appropriate and effective intensity for obese subjects is still debated. Therefore, this study aims to prove the effect of intensity differences with aerobic-resistance combination exercise on increasing irisin and IL-6 levels in obese women.

METHODS

A total of 32 obese women were selected as subjects and administered the interventions of low-intensity combination exercise (Q2), moderate-intensity combination exercise (Q3), and high-intensity combination exercise (Q4). ELISA was used to measure irisin and IL-6 levels in all samples. Statistical analysis used one-way ANOVA and Turkey's-Honest Significant Difference (HSD) post hoc test.

RESULTS

The mean Δ IL-6 levels in the control groups (Q1), Q2, Q3, and Q4 were 0.27 ± 2.54, 2.07 ± 2.55, 5.99 ± 6.25, and 7.98 ± 2.82 pg/mL with (p=0.015). The mean Δ irisin levels were 0.06 ± 0.81 ng/mL in Q1, 0.59 ± 0.67 ng/mL in Q2, 1.99 ± 1.65 ng/mL in Q3, 4.63 ± 3.57 ng/mL in Q4 with (p=0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

This study proved that all three types of combined exercise intensity increased myokine levels, such as irisin and IL-6. However, high-intensity combination exercise provided the most optimal improvement in myokine levels in obese women. Future studies are needed to design long-term exercise programs specifically for obese adolescent women using the findings from this study.

Listening to music during a repeated sprint test improves performance and psychophysiological responses in healthy and physically active male adults

BACKGROUND

It is well-documented that listening to music has the potential to improve physical performance during intense physical exercise. Less information is available on the timing of music application. This study aimed to investigate the effects of listening to preferred music during the warm up of a subsequent test or during the test on performance of repeated sprint sets (RSS) in adult males.

METHODS

In a randomized cross-over design, 19 healthy males (age, 22.1 ± 1.2 years; body mass, 72.7 ± 9.3 kg; height, 1.79 ± 0.06 m; BMI, 22.6 ± 2.2 kg m-2) performed a test including 2 sets of 5*20-m repeated-sprints under one of three conditions: listening to preferred music during the test; listening to preferred music during the warm-up; or not listening to music. The assessed parameters comprised RSS performance indices, blood lactate, heart rate, the pacing strategy profile, rating of perceived exertion, and a feeling scale.

RESULTS

For performance indices during set 1 of the RSS test, we found a significant decrease in total sum sequence, fast time index and fatigue index in the listening to preferred music condition compared to the no music condition (total sum sequence: p = 0.006, d = 0.93; fast time index: p = 0.003, d = 0.67; fatigue index: p < 0.001; d = 1.30) and the listening to preferred music during the warm-up condition (fast time index: p = 0.002; d = 1.15; fatigue index: p = 0.006; d = 0.74). However, there was no significant effect of listening to preferred music on physical performance during set 2 of the RSS test. Compared to the no music condition, blood lactate concentrations were higher in the listening to preferred music during the test condition (p = 0.025; d = 0.92). In addition, listening to preferred music appears not to have an effect on heart rate, the pacing strategy profile, perceived exertion, and affective responses before, during and after the RSS test.

CONCLUSION

Findings from this study revealed that RSS performances were better (FT and FI indices) in the PMDT compared with the PMWU condition. Moreover, in set 1 of the RSS test, better RSS indices were found in the PMDT compared to NM condition.