Microcurrent and Aerobic Exercise Effects in Abdominal Fat

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this study was to analyze microcurrent short term effects used with aerobic exercise on abdominal fat.

Detailed Description
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Nutritional patterns have been changed during twenty-first century with sugar and fat's high proportions that allied to sedentary lifestyle increased body fat. There is already a well establish relationship between total body fat excess, cardiometabolic diseases and increased mortality, knowing that abdominal fat (android pattern), different from body index, presents an additional influence to health risks. Women with their abdominal adipocytes (visceral fat) show an increased lipolytic activity that releases free fat acids to the systemic and portal circulation leading to a metabolic syndrome, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Aerobic exercise is a way to decrease fat as it stimulates lipolysis through an increase in catecholamine's level resulting from a sympathetic system nervous activity raise. The most used exercise for lipid elimination is the prolonged aerobic moderate exercise with a minimum of 30 minutes. Nevertheless aerobic exercise practice reduce globally lipidic sources and not locally . Electrolipolysis using microcurrent has been used in clinical practice as a technique to reduce abdominal fat. This technique can be applied transcutaneously or percutaneously seeming that the former is not so effective as skin can be an obstacle to the current effect on visceral and subcutaneous fat . Abdominal fat excess is associated with cardiometabolic diseases and can be prevented using microcurrent and aerobic exercise to stimulate lipolysis.

Official Title
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Microcurrent and Aerobic Exercise Effects in Glycerol, Catecholamines, Energetic Source and Muscle Activity

Conditions
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Obesity, Abdominal

Intervention / Treatment
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* Device: Transcutaneous microcurrent
* Device: Aerobic exercise


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: age between 18 and 30 years. Exclusion Criteria: submitted to other fat reduce procedure, to show cardiovascular risk factors or diseases and/or any physical condition limiting aerobic exercise. To present any contraindications to microcurrent and/or aerobic exercise, to take medication that influence lipid metabolism, and to be pregnant.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 30 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Transcutaneous microcurrent<br>This group performed aerobic exercise just after microcurrent in the abdominal region with four transcutaneous electrodes in a parallel position, intensity below the sensitivity threshold and a maximum of 1 milliampere (mA). Every 20 minutes changed from 25 hertz (Hz) to 10 Hz | Device: Transcutaneous microcurrent<br>* Microcurrent in the abdominal region with four transcutaneous electrodes in a parallel position, intensity below the sensitivity threshold and a maximum of 1 mA. Every 15 minutes changed from 25 Hz to 10 Hz.<br>Device: Aerobic exercise<br>* 50 minutes of aerobic moderate-intensity exercise (45-55% of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max)) using Karvonen´s formula, performed on a cycloergometer. Were used Borg scale (12-13), Polar® heart monitors to control heart rate and K4b2 to analyze the quantity of oxygen (O2) consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) produced during exercise.<br>|
| Placebo Comparator: Control group<br>Control group performed aerobic exercise just after microcurrent in the abdominal region with four transcutaneous electrodes in a parallel position, but microcurrent device was switched off. | Device: Aerobic exercise<br>* 50 minutes of aerobic moderate-intensity exercise (45-55% of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max)) using Karvonen´s formula, performed on a cycloergometer. Were used Borg scale (12-13), Polar® heart monitors to control heart rate and K4b2 to analyze the quantity of oxygen (O2) consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) produced during exercise.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in catecholamines and glycerol concentrations | Blood analysis collection was carried out with help from an clinical analysis technician. The volunteers were not fasting. | 10 minutes before the interventions, after interventions (duration of interventions - 90 minutes) and after 24 hours | 
| Change in proportion of energy source | K4b2 (COSMED ®) was used for analysis of cardiopulmonary gas exchange in real time. | Immediately before (for 3 minutes) and during exercise (duration of exercise - 50 minutes) | 
| Change in electromyographic activity | Recording the surface electrical activity produced by rectus abdominis and external oblique in front bridge and side bridge exercise, respectively. | 5 minutes before and after microcurrent | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subcutaneous abdominal fat and visceral abdominal fat | Ultrasound was performed at the end of expiration to measure subcutaneous abdominal fat between xiphoid apophysis and navel, below navel, and above left and right anterior superior iliac spine. Between xiphoid apophysis and navel was also measured visceral abdominal fat. Abdominal fat analyzed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). | 20 minutes before the interventions | 
| Suprailiac, vertical and horizontal abdominal skinfolds | Suprailiac, vertical and horizontal abdominal skinfolds were performed two times in right hemi body, by caliper. | 20 minutes before the interventions | 
| Perimeters measurements | The perimeters measurements were done, at the end of expiration, at waist level (below last rib), at navel level, at the point immediately above the iliac crests and at trochanters level. The waist-hip ratio was calculated using the waist level perimeter. divided by trochanters level perimeter. | 20 minutes before the interventions | 
| Change in cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose concentrations | Blood analysis collection was carried out with help from an clinical analysis technician. The volunteers were not fasting. | 10 minutes before the interventions, after interventions (duration of interventions - 90 minutes) | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Aerobic exercise, Lipolysis, Abdominal fat, Metabolic syndrome, Microcurrent