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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02110927

Microcurrent and Aerobic Exercise Effects in Abdominal Fat

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

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Key information

Age range

18 year–30 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Andreia Noites

Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto District, 4400-303, Portugal

About this study

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.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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.

Treatment and study plan

Transcutaneous microcurrent

Device

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.

Aerobic exercise

Device

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.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in catecholamines and glycerol concentrations

    Time frame: 10 minutes before the interventions, after interventions (duration of interventions - 90 minutes) and after 24 hours

    Blood analysis collection was carried out with help from an clinical analysis technician. The volunteers were not fasting.

  2. Change in proportion of energy source

    Time frame: Immediately before (for 3 minutes) and during exercise (duration of exercise - 50 minutes)

    K4b2 (COSMED ®) was used for analysis of cardiopulmonary gas exchange in real time.

  3. Change in electromyographic activity

    Time frame: 5 minutes before and after microcurrent

    Recording the surface electrical activity produced by rectus abdominis and external oblique in front bridge and side bridge exercise, respectively.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Subcutaneous abdominal fat and visceral abdominal fat

    Time frame: 20 minutes before the interventions

    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).

  2. Suprailiac, vertical and horizontal abdominal skinfolds

    Time frame: 20 minutes before the interventions

    Suprailiac, vertical and horizontal abdominal skinfolds were performed two times in right hemi body, by caliper.

  3. Perimeters measurements

    Time frame: 20 minutes before the interventions

    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.

  4. Change in cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose concentrations

    Time frame: 10 minutes before the interventions, after interventions (duration of interventions - 90 minutes)

    Blood analysis collection was carried out with help from an clinical analysis technician. The volunteers were not fasting.

Other outcomes

  1. International Physical Activity Questionnaire

    Time frame: 30 minutes before the interventions

    Used to evaluate the level of physical activity of the volunteers

  2. Food Frequency Questionnaire

    Time frame: 30 minutes before the interventions

    Used to evaluate the lifestyle of the volunteers

  3. Bioimpedance values

    Time frame: 30 minutes before the interventions

    The height was measured with the volunteers on respiratory apnea. To minimize the influence of electrolyte balance changes in bioimpedance assessment, was given some rules to volunteers. It was calculated BMI using the body weight divided by height squared

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde do Porto

Other

Registry information

Official study title

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

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2014
Study completion
2014
First posted
Apr 10, 2014
Registry last updated
Oct 24, 2014

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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