Microcurrent and Aerobic Exercise Effects on Abdominal Fat

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

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obesity, Abdominal
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Exercise after; Device: Transcutaneos; Device: 25-10Hz; Device: 25-50Hz microcurrent; Device: percutaneous microcurrent; Device: Exercise at same time

Detailed 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.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 45
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Portugal
  • Porto
    • Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto, Portugal, 4400-303
      • Andreia Noites
    • Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto, Portugal, 4400-330
      • Andreia Noites

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 28 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

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 Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

5

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Exercise after, Transcutaneos, 25-10Hz; Experimental group 1 performed aerobic exercise just after microcurrent in the abdominal region with four transcutaneous electrodes in a parallel position, intensity below the sensivity threshold and a maximum of 1 mA. Every 15 minutes changed from 25Hz to 10 Hz.	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.; Other Names: Aerobic exercise after microcurrent; Device: 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.; Other Names: transcutaneos microcurrent; Device: 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.; Other Names: 25-10Hz microcurrent
Experimental: 25-50Hz microcurrent; Experimental group 2 performed aerobic exercise just after microcurrent in the abdominal region with four transcutaneous electrodes in a parallel position, intensity below the sensivity threshold and a maximum of 1 mA. Every 15 minutes changed from 25Hz to 50Hz.	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.; Other Names: Aerobic exercise after microcurrent; Device: 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.; Other Names: transcutaneos microcurrent; Device: 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.
Experimental: percutaneous microcurrent; Experimental group 3 performed aerobic exercise just after microcurrent in the abdominal region with four percutaneous electrodes in a parallel position, intensity below the sensivity threshold and a maximum of 1 mA. Every 15 minutes changed from 25Hz to 10 Hz.	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.; Other Names: Aerobic exercise after microcurrent; Device: 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.; Other Names: 25-10Hz microcurrent; Device: 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.
Experimental: Exercise at same time; Experimental group 4 performed aerobic exercise at the same time microcurrent in the abdominal region with four transcutaneous electrodes in a parallel position, intensity below the sensivity threshold and a maximum of 1 mA. Every 15 minutes changed from 25Hz to 10 Hz.	Device: 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.; Other Names: transcutaneos microcurrent; Device: 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.; Other Names: 25-10Hz microcurrent; Device: 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.; Other Names: Aerobic exercise at same time microcurrent
Placebo Comparator: Control Group; 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: 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.; Other Names: Aerobic exercise after microcurrent; Device: 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.; Other Names: transcutaneos microcurrent

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
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

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
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
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
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
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

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
International Physical Activity Questionnaire	moderate physical activity level were used to monitor lifestyle during sessions	five weeks after the intervencion
Food Frequency Questionnaire	Food Frequency Questionnaire were used to monitor lifestyle during sessions.	five weeks after intervencion

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde do Porto

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Despres JP, Lemieux I. Abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome. Nature. 2006 Dec 14;444(7121):881-7. doi: 10.1038/nature05488.
• 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.
• 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. doi: 10.1038/oby.2003.199.
• 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.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: July 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2011
• Study Completion (Actual): September 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 18, 2013
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 9, 2013
• First Posted (Estimate): May 15, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): May 15, 2013
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 9, 2013
• Last Verified: May 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: aerobic exercise; microcurrent; metabolic syndrome; abdominal fat
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Obesity; Obesity, Abdominal
• Other Study ID Numbers: AN-001