A. Díaz-Ordoñez

A 6-week training program increased muscle antioxidant system in elderly diabetic fatty rats

Summary Background It is widely accepted that oxidative stress is associated with the physiopathology of type 2 diabetes mellitus. In fact, it has been pointed out as a therapeutic target in T2DM. Fortunately, several papers have reported that long-term training programs improved the antioxidant system in young and adult diabetic rats. Accordingly, this study was designed to assess the influence of a shorter training program in elderly diabetic fatty rats. Material/Methods Study subjects were 24 male homozygous Zucker diabetic fatty rats (Gmi, fa/fa) aged 18 weeks with an average weight of 370–450 g. After a 2-week period of environmental adaptation, animals were randomly distributed into the Exercised Group (n=12) that performed a 6-week swimming training protocol and the Sedentary Group (n=12). Animals were sacrificed under anesthesia 24 h after the last exercise session. Serum metabolic profile was determined. Total antioxidant status (TAS), MnSOD expression, glutathione status and ROS generation were assayed in gastrocnemius muscle. Results When compared with controls, exercised rats significantly improved their metabolic profile. Total antioxidant status (0.19±0.002 vs. 0.13±0.002 μg/mg protein; p<0.001) and MnSOD expression (8471±90 vs. 6258±102 U/μg protein; p=0.003) were also increased in exercised rats. Conclusions A 6-week swimming training program improved the antioxidant system in elderly fatty diabetic rats. Fortunately, this improvement was enough to reduce oxidative damage, expressed as protein oxidation. A major finding of this study was that our training protocol lasted just 6 weeks, in contrast to longer protocols previously published.

Anthropometry and Exercise in Down Syndrome

In recent years, there has been a growing concern as to the importance of exercise in the holistic management of individuals with Down syndrome (DS). In fact, several studies have reported that regular exercise may improve the health of these individuals, since it may help reduce obesity, insulin resistance and oxidative damage, among other problems. Similarly, exercise may improve the quality of life of individuals with DS by promoting their functional independence as well as their social integration in the workplace, since most of their jobs are based on physical tasks. In addition, an increasing number of sport events are being organised all over the world for individuals with DS by national federations and international institutions, such as the Special Olympics and International Paralympics Committee. In this regard, improving the physical performance of high performance athletes with mental retardation also requires specialised attention from a multidisciplinary team. Fortunately, anthropometric assessment, including body composition and somatotype analysis, may help these professionals not only achieve all these goals, but also achieve them safely. It should also be noted that this assessment is inexpensive, easy to perform and non-invasive. However, anthropometric assessment is not widely used by professionals in their daily practice to date, which may be explained, at least in part, by the dearth of available information in the literature. Consequently, this chapter has been written to provide an update on this topic for healthcare providers and sport-related professionals who work with individuals with DS.