Positive influence of aqua exercise and burdock extract intake on fitness factors and vascular regulation substances in elderly

Abstract

Health issues in elderly individuals are often complex and tend to lead to chronic diseases; such issues can be due to a decline in fitness resulting from lack of physical activity. Aqua exercise and burdock are positive effects on cardiovascular disease and vascular health. This study investigated the changes due to aqua exercise and burdock extract intake in senior fitness, prostaglandin I2 (PGI2), and thromboxane A2 (TXA2) in elderly women. Forty elderly women (65–80 years) volunteered for this study. After baseline measurements, participants were randomized into control (n = 8), aqua exercise (n = 11), aqua exercise and burdock extract intake combination (n = 11), and burdock extract intake groups (n = 10). The variables of senior fitness tests, PGI2 and TXA2 were measured in all participants before and after the 12-week study. Blood collections were carried out at the beginning- and the end of aqua exercise training. Muscular strength, endurance, flexibility, and cardiorespiratory endurance of aqua exercise and burdock extract intake group at post-test significantly increased compared to pre-test (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in PGI2 and TXA2 between pre- and post-training programs. In conclusion, our findings indicated that the aqua exercise and burdock extract intake improves senior fitness factors in elderly Korean women. Also, the program participation led to a balance between PGI2 and TXA2. Additionally, burdock extract intake may be useful in vascular health by playing a secondary role in disease prevention and health promotion.

Combined aerobic and low-intensity resistance exercise training increases basal nitric oxide production and decreases arterial stiffness in healthy older adults

“…Nagai et al (29) reported that arm and trunk muscle mass in older individuals increase after a 12-week resistance-training program with maslinic acid supplementation. Ha et al (30) found that aerobic capacity in the 6-min walking test in older individuals increases after a 12-week aquatic exercise program with burdock extract supplementation. Kumagai et al (31) reported that adding higher daily physical activity levels to calorie restriction is needed in overweight and obese men for increasing circulating levels of testosterone, a Fig.…”

Exercise training and burdock root (Arctium lappa L.) extract independently improve abdominal obesity and sex hormones in elderly women with metabolic syndrome

“…Exercise regimens reportedly exert a significant effect on MS indicators 29 , and are considered as a valuable non-pharmacological approach to MS management. The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effects of AE and BE on body composition and serum gonadal steroid hormones, as well as their correlation in elderly women with MS. Based on our previous findings 18 , 26 , we hypothesized that the combined effects of AE and BE would lead to additive or synergistic improvement in MS-related body composition and sex hormone levels in elderly women with MS. The results indicated that both AE and BE interventions individually decreased abdominal fat and waist circumference, which induced beneficial changes in the levels of testosterone, estradiol, and SHBG.…”

“…Although there are controversial issues regarding the effects of physical exercise on sex hormone among elderly women, several studies have revealed that estradiol, testosterone, and SHBG levels are enhanced after adopting an active and healthy lifestyle 15 – 17 . Additionally, we observed that water-based aquatic exercise (AE), an acceptable compromise between exercise effectiveness and safety intervention for the elderly, improved fitness and vascular-related factors in elderly women without MS 18 , suggesting that regular AE might also be beneficial in elderly women with MS.…”

“…Recently, we found that the combination of burdock root extract (BE) and AE exerted positive effects on vascular function and related hormones in elderly women without MS 18 , 26 . Considering the potential health-beneficial effects of the AE and BE, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of AE and BE, individually or in combination, on body composition and sex-related hormone levels in elderly women with MS. We hypothesized that a 16-week combined AE/BE intervention in elderly women with MS would either additively or synergistically improve body composition, and induce beneficial changes in the levels of sex-related hormones.…”

Possible adaptogenic effects of <i>Momordica charantia</i> on high-intensity training-induced alteration in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis

“…( 17 , 18 ) Then the MCE was prepared following the method optimized for natural plants as described in the previous studies. ( 19 , 20 ) Subsequently, 4 kg of dried MCE and 6,000 ml of water was added to the extractor, and the mixture was extracted by heating at 100°C under a pressure of 0.7 kg/cm 2 for 3 h. The extracted MCE was then sealed in a small plastic bag of 100 ml and stored in a refrigerator. To analyze the basic ingredients, we commissioned the Korea Food Research Institute and Pukyong National University Food Analysis Center.…”