Exercise training with dietary restriction enhances circulating irisin level associated with increasing endothelial progenitor cell number in obese adults: an intervention study

Abstract

ObjectiveCirculating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) correlate negatively with obesity. Previous studies have shown that exercise significantly restores circulating EPC levels in obese people; however, the underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated. Recently, irisin has been reported to have a critical role in the regulation of EPCs. This exercise-induced myokine has been demonstrated to play a therapeutic role in obesity. In this study, we hypothesized that the increase in circulating irisin may form a link with increasing EPC levels in obese people after exercise.MethodsSeventeen obese adults completed an 8-week program of combined exercise and dietary intervention. Clinical characteristics, blood biochemistry, and circulating irisin levels of subjects were measured before and after eight weeks of training. EPC levels were evaluated via flow cytometry, and EPC migratory and adhesive functions were also determined.ResultsCirculating irisin levels significantly increased following the 8-week training program (P < 0.05). We furthermore observed an improvement in EPC numbers (P < 0.05), and EPC migratory and adhesive functions (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively) after the intervention. Additionally, we detected a positive correlation between changes in irisin and changes in EPC number (r = 0.52, P < 0.05).DiscussionFor the first time, a positive correlation between increasing irisin levels and increasing EPC levels has been reported after an 8-week program, consisting of exercise and dietary intervention. This result suggests a novel effect of irisin on the regulation of EPC mobilization, which might contribute to improvement of endothelial function in obese people.

Combined moderate and high intensity exercise with dietary restriction improves cardiac autonomic function associated with a reduction in central and systemic arterial stiffness in obese adults: a clinical trial

“…The trial forms part of a larger study with lifestyle interventions on obese adults (Effects of exercise training and diet restriction on cardiovascular function in obese population, ISRCTN83594346). Results regarding the relationship between circulating irisin concentrations and endothelial progenitor cell levels in an obese population after exercise and dietary intervention have been reported in an earlier publication ( Huang et al, 2017a ). In the present paper, we focus solely on the relationship between autonomic function and arterial stiffness under lifestyle modifications of exercise and diet.…”

“…The general outcomes (descriptive characteristics, whole body composition, and metabolic parameters) measured before and after the 8-week training program of obese participants have been previously described in detail ( Huang et al, 2017a ). As shown in Table 1 , in response to the exercise and diet intervention, obese participants (22.1 ± 2.8 years) had significant reductions in body weight, BMI, body fat mass, and body fat percentage (all P < 0.001).…”

“…A limitation of our current study is the lack of a control group during the training program of the intervention. Since the camp was located in a remote district of Huizhou city, China, and subjects enrolled in the program came from various locations across the country and had an average BMI over 35 kg/m 2 (37.8 ± 5.0 kg/m 2 ), the selection of an appropriate control group was restricted ( Gately et al, 2000 ; Huang et al, 2017a ). Furthermore, we were limited by a small sample size.…”

“…Details for the diet and exercise protocol have been previously described ( Huang et al, 2017a ). Briefly, subjects were provided with calorie-restricted diets of 1,300–2,200 kcal/day based on their weight.…”

Acute Anaerobic Exercise Affects the Secretion of Asprosin, Irisin, and Other Cytokines – A Comparison Between Sexes

“…Because the varied diet used by volunteers could affect the anaerobic power (Wroble et al, 2018) and the level of adipocytokines in the blood (Reis et al, 2010; de Luis et al, 2016; Huang et al, 2017), the meal guidelines were proposed in our studies by a dietician taking the age, sex, and physical activity of the participants into account (2800 kcal/day for man, 2000 kcal/day for women; carbohydrates 55%, fat 30%, and proteins 15%) (Jarosz, 2017). The diet was assessed based on the analysis of dietary diaries filled in by the participants using the product and food photography album (Szponar et al, 2012) during the 7 days preceding the cycling sprint.…”