Physical activity for health promotion in oxidative stress-exposed subjects A. PALASUWAN1, I. MARGARITIS1,2, AS. ROUSSEAU3 1
LAMHES, Université de Nice Sophia-Antipolis, 2AFSSA, 3INSERM U907 Correspondant. E-mail:
[email protected] Key words: mind-body exercise, oxidative stress, nutrition
1 Introduction Economic, politic and environmental changes, and western culture adoption have influenced Thai people to change their way of living and eating behaviours, increasing psychological stress and oxidative stress related diseases, such as cancers, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, thalassemia carrier, an inherited hemoglobin disorder of Thai people, increases the risk of oxidative stress. Physical activity is recommended all around the world to promote health1, but can also be harmful if not adapted to specific populations such as adolescents, postmenopausal women or thalassemia carrier subjects, increasing oxidative stress by altering antioxidant potential and nutritional demands. We conducted independent studies in Bangkok urban community exposed-populations (postmenopausal women, adolescent athletes, thalassemia: Hb E carriers), to investigate the effect of physical activity on antioxidant status, by taking into account nutritional intakes which can be influenced by both environmental and type of physical activity factors2-5.The objective is to evaluate the benefit to risk ratio of physical activity with different approachs, including the biochemical evaluation of antioxidant status and cardiovascular risk, and to set up a health promotion model by physical activity, taking into account age, gender, environment and genetic inheritance. We hypothesized that Tai Chi and Yoga mind-body exercises can be used as a strategy to promote health in oxidative stress exposed subjects.
2 Materials and Methods Studies and subjects: Two hundred and fifty subjects have been included in four studies, which were independently conducted in Bangkok city and
189 have participated completely. Respectively, we have investigated: 2.1 The effect of mind-body exercises (Tai Chi, Yoga) in pre- and post- menopausal women (preM; postM) by 1) a cross-sectional study (n=95 women) and 2) an 8-wk Tai Chi training program study (n=14). 2.2 The effect of acute exercise at peak oxygen uptake in thalassemia (Hb E) carrier subjects (n=10 vs n=20 healthy control subjects). 2.3 The effect of a 10-wk strenuous training camp in adolescent athletes (soccer players, athletes). Sixteen thalassemia (Hb E) carriers were compared with 34 matched controls. Dietary records and other questionnaires Subjects completed 4-day activity and dietary intakes records, food frequency questionnaires, lifestyle and profiles of mood states (POMS) questionnaires. Biological markers Blood collections were performed for measurements of plasma lipid peroxidation, total antioxidant status (TAS), total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations, erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (eSOD) and glutathione peroxidase (eGPx) activities, uric acid, lipids, and hematological parameters. Collections were performed at rest (for all studies), after acute exercise and recovery period (for 2.2), and after training (for 2.1.2 and 2.3) Physical fitness Relative peak oxygen uptake was determined by a direct maximal exercise aerobic capacity triangular test on a treadmill for 2.1.2, 2.2 and 2.3 studies. Pulmonary function (tidal volume and forced vital capacity), flexibility (sit and reach test), functional balance (Wayne’s test), and 1-RM dynamic muscular strength tests (biceps, triceps, quadriceps, hamstring) were performed for 2.1.2 study. Anaerobic power (Wingate test) and the 1-RM leg extension test (leg curl machine) were performed for 2.3.
Statistics Two-way ANOVA tests (menopause; mind-body exercise) were used in 2.1.1. One-way ANOVA tests with repeated measures (Pre- and Posttraining) were used in 2.1.2 and 2.2. Two-way ANOVA (thalassemia carrier; type of sport) with repeated measures (Pre- and Post-training) were used in 2.3.
3 Results Dietary intakes Our results showed that most of our subjects reached current Thai Dietary Reference Intakes for most nutrients. Yoga practitioners had low energy and fat intakes, and are high vegetable consumers. Adolescent athletes had poor quality and high fat food intakes during the training camp which has led to increase their LDL-and total- cholesterol level. Physical fitness In post-menopausal women, Tai Chi training improved significantly flexibility, balance muscular strength and lung function. In adolescent athletes, the training camp allowed them to improve anaerobic power and maximal voluntary muscle strength. However, in parallel, adolescent depression score was increased and their relative peak oxygen uptake was decreased, suggesting that adolescent athletes were in an overeaching state. Biological markers We evidenced that the variability of plasma TAS was explained by the variability of BMI and % body fat in both menopausal women and adolescent athletes. Regardless of menopausal status, eGPx activity was higher in Tai Chi practitioners compared to Yoga and sedentary subjects and was also increased after the 8-wk of Tai Chi training. Plasma tHcy concentrations, a cardiovascular risk marker, was decreased after the Tai Chi training. Plasma lipoperoxidation marker (TBARS) did not vary. In Hb E carriers, resting and post-exercise blood parameters were not different from those measured in the healthy group. In adolescent athletes, eSOD and eGPx activities were increased in response to the 10wk training camp, despite that peak oxygen uptake was decreased.
4 Discussion and Conclusion Our studies evidenced that the variation of our biological markers should be interpreted differently among the physiological state of the population investigated. Although plasma TAS is
a sensitive marker, it should be interpreted as regard to body fat mass. Erythrocyte GPx activity is shown to be a sensitive marker of aerobic exercise effect but can also increase in response to situation of stress exposure as previously described4. We showed that Yoga practice can influence dietary behavior, decreasing fat intakes. Moreover, besides the low-velocity, low-impact, and safety benefits, as well as lung capacity improvement, Tai Chi can have metabolic effects. This mind-body practice could be a suitable physical activity design for pre- and post- menopausal women to prevent oxidative stress-related diseases. The inclusion and combination of two mind-body exercises concepts, eg. Yoga’s nutrition and Tai Chi deep breath, and the education of coachs to define appropriate training load, could allowed athletes to improve health and reach the goal of competition. To contribute to WHO health promotion1 in not only Thailand but also in globalized world, the specific dietary recommendation, improvement in food database, the appropriate biochemical and mood state markers, the suitable type and intensity of physical/mind-body exercises, should be carefully concerned and specifically recommended in each population.
Acknowledgements The study was conducted followed by Franco-Thai collaboration concept. The study was financially supported by laboratories in both countries and The Research Fund of Royal Silver Jubilee Cerebration of HRM King Rama IX of Thailand by Chulalongkorn University.
References [1] Participants at the 6th Global Conference on Health Promotion. The Bangkok Charter for health promotion in a globalized world. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2005. [2] Rousseau AS, Hininger I, Palazzetti S, Faure H, Roussel AM, Margaritis I. Antioxidant vitamin status in high exposure to oxidative stress in competitive athletes. Br J Nutr 2004; 92(3):461-8. [3] Rousseau AS, Robin S, Roussel AM, Ducros V, Margaritis I. Plasma homocysteine is related to folate intake but not training status. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2005;15(2):125-33. [4] Rousseau AS, Margaritis I, Arnaud J, Faure H, Roussel AM. Physical activity alters antioxidant status in exercising elderly subjects. J Nutr Biochem 2006; 17: 463-70. [5] Margaritis I, Rousseau AS. Does physical exercise modify antioxidant requirements? Nutr Res Rev 2008;21(1):3-12.
