Microcurrent and Aerobic Exercise Effects on Abdominal Fat

Obesity, Abdominal Clinical Trial

Official title:

Microcurrent and Aerobic Exercise Effects on Abdominal Fat

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT01853761
• Other study ID #: AN-001
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: April 18, 2013
• Last updated: May 9, 2013
• Start date: July 2011
• Est. completion date: September 2011

Study information

• Verified date: May 2013
• Source: Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde do Porto
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: Portugal: Ethics Committee for Clinical Research
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

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

Description:

Nutritional patterns have been changed during XXI century with sugar and fat's high proportions that allied to sedentarism 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 lipolitic 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 mn.

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.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 45
• Est. completion date: September 2011
• Est. primary completion date: September 2011
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: Both
• Age group: 18 Years to 30 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• age between 18 and 30 years

• presenting a normal to pre-obese body mass index (18.5 - 29.9 Kg/m2)

• moderate physical activity level (between 600 and 3000 metabolic-minute/week (MET-min/week)) scored by International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)

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 contra indications to microcurrent and/or aerobic exercise

• to take medication that influence lipid metabolism, and to be pregnant

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Factorial Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Outcomes Assessor), Primary Purpose: Prevention

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Obesity, Abdominal

Intervention

Device:
• Exercise after
Aerobic exercise just after microcurrent in the abdominal region, intensity below the sensivity threshold and a maximum of 1 mA. 30 minutes of aerobic moderate-intensity exercise (50%VO2 max) using Karvonen´s formula, performed on a cycloergometer. Were used Borg scale (12-13) and Polar® heart monitors to control heart rate.
• Exercise at same time
Aerobic exercise at the same time microcurrent in the abdominal region, intensity below the sensivity threshold and a maximum of 1 mA. 30 minutes of aerobic moderate-intensity exercise (50%VO2 max) using Karvonen´s formula, performed on a cycloergometer. Were used Borg scale (12-13) and Polar® heart monitors to control heart rate.
• Transcutaneos
Microcurrent device in the abdominal region with four transcutaneous electrodes in a parallel position, intensity below the sensivity threshold and a maximum of 1 mA.
• percutaneous microcurrent
Microcurrent device in the abdominal region with four percutaneous electrodes in a parallel position, intensity below the sensivity threshold and a maximum of 1 mA.
• 25-10Hz
microcurrent device in the abdominal whith intensity below the sensivity threshold and a maximum of 1 mA. Every 15 minutes changed from 25Hz to 10 Hz.
• 25-50Hz microcurrent
microcurrent device in the abdominal whith intensity below the sensivity threshold and a maximum of 1 mA. Every 15 minutes changed from 25Hz to 50 Hz.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Portugal	Andreia Noites	Vila Nova de Gaia	Porto
Portugal	Andreia Noites	Vila Nova de Gaia	Porto

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde do Porto

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Portugal, 

References & Publications (4)

Després JP, Lemieux I. Abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome. Nature. 2006 Dec 14;444(7121):881-7. Review. — View Citation

Donnelly JE, Blair SN, Jakicic JM, Manore MM, Rankin JW, Smith BK; American College of Sports Medicine. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Appropriate physical activity intervention strategies for weight loss and prevention of weight regain for adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 Feb;41(2):459-71. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181949333. Erratum in: Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 Jul;41(7):1532. — View Citation

Hamida ZH, Comtois AS, Portmann M, Boucher JP, Savard R. Effect of electrical stimulation on lipolysis of human white adipocytes. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2011 Apr;36(2):271-5. doi: 10.1139/h11-011. — View Citation

Ribeiro-Filho FF, Faria AN, Azjen S, Zanella MT, Ferreira SR. Methods of estimation of visceral fat: advantages of ultrasonography. Obes Res. 2003 Dec;11(12):1488-94. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Other	International Physical Activity Questionnaire	moderate physical activity level were used to monitor lifestyle during sessions	five weeks after the intervencion	Yes
Other	Food Frequency Questionnaire	Food Frequency Questionnaire were used to monitor lifestyle during sessions.	five weeks after intervencion	Yes
Primary	subcutaneous abdominal fat and viceral 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	five weeks after the intervencion	Yes
Secondary	bioimpedance values	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.	five weeks after the intervencion	Yes
Secondary	cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose levels	The volunteers were on fasting (12 hours) and was collected a blood sample on finger to measure cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose levels. The results were recorded through the classes	five weeks after intervention	Yes
Secondary	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	five weeks after intervencion	Yes
Secondary	Suprailiac, vertical and horizontal abdominal skinfolds	Suprailiac, vertical and horizontal abdominal skinfolds were performed three times in right hemi body, by caliper	five weeks after intervencion	Yes