| Research Abstract |
Present study aimed to establish a beneficial exercise therapy for lifestyle-related disease improvement, determining the effects of aquatic exercise in hypobaric hypoxic environment gives on cardiovascular response, glucose and fat metabolism.
Healthy 3 young adult groups, A (n=6), B (n=6), C (n=6), and middle-aged group D (n=5) performed an aquatic exercise at the intensity of around 50%VO2max for 30 min/session, for 4 weeks. A, B and D were exposed to hypoxic condition corresponding to 2000m and C was exposed to 2500m above sea level for 2.5hours/session. The training frequency was 4 times/week in A and 3 times/week in B, C and D. Before and after the training period, VO_2max and cardiovascular responses such as heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), and systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP) and mean blood pressure (MBP) during cycling exercise at the intensity of 50%VO_2max, which was determined before the training, were measured.
After the 4 weeks of training, VO_2max did not change significantly in all groups. In cardiovascular responses during the moderate exercise, no significant changes were observed in B and D. On the other hand, SV and CO in A and C significantly increased. In addition, a significant decrease was observed in DBP and MBP in A and C. Also, after the oral glucose tolerance test, under-curve area and blood insulin concentration by 120 min were significantly reduced only in C. In blood lipid, total cholesterol and LDL were significantly decreased in A and B, but not in C and D. A significant decrease was observed in skinfold thickness in A, B and C, but not D. Taken all, our results revealed that an aquatic exercise in hypobaric hypoxic environment would induce more effectively the beneficial changes in cardiovascular function, glucose and fat metabolism. These new findings would open the positive possibilities of utilizing hypoxia with exercise for prevention and clinical treatment of lifestyle-related disease.
|
