Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Oct 27;16(5):418-426.
doi: 10.12965/jer.2040620.310. eCollection 2020 Oct.

Effects of Qigong exercise on muscle strengths and oxidative stress/antioxidant responses in young sedentary females: a quasi-experimental study

Kultida Klarod  1 , Sanita Singsanan  2 , Niramon Thamwiriyasati  2 , Suphannika Ladawan  3 , Nongnuch Luangpon  1 , Patcharee Boonsiri  4 , Martin Burtscher  5
Affiliations

Effects of Qigong exercise on muscle strengths and oxidative stress/antioxidant responses in young sedentary females: a quasi-experimental study

Kultida Klarod et al. J Exerc Rehabil. .

Abstract

Regular exercise is associated with the production of small amounts of oxidative stress which might promote individual antioxidant capacity contributing to favorable training effects potentially interrelated with skeletal muscle strength. Therefore, the present study was aimed at evaluating effects of an 8-week Qigong exercise training on muscle strengths associated with responses of oxidative stress and antioxidants in young sedentary females. A total of 41 sedentary women were allocated to the Qigong exercise group (QG, N=20) or to the control group (CG, N=21). After 8 weeks of Qigong training, back and leg strength was significantly improved compared to baseline and the CG (P<0.05). Plasma oxidative stress levels were reduced and total antioxidant capacity was enhanced in the QG compared to the CG (P<0.05). Correlation analyses revealed that improvements in muscle strength (including both groups) were associated with changes in the levels of oxidative stress (reduction) and antioxidants (elevation). The presented findings indicate that strength training effects seem at least partly to be interrelated with alterations of the oxidant-antioxidant balance generated by the 8-week Qigong training in young sedentary females.

Keywords: Antioxidants; Muscle strengths; Oxidative stress; Qigong training; Sedentary lifestyle; Young female.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schedule for Qigong exercise intervention. QG, Qigong exercise group; CG, control group.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Flow diagram of study progress.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Correlations between changes (delta, difference POST minus PRE) in back strength and changes (delta, difference POST minus PRE) in oxidative stress (MDA) including both the Qigong and the control group.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Correlations between changes (delta, difference POST minus PRE) in leg strength and changes (delta, difference POST minus PRE) in oxidative stress (MDA) including both the Qigong and the control group.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Correlations between changes (delta, difference POST minus PRE) in leg strength and changes (delta, difference POST minus PRE) in total antioxidant (TAC) levels including both the Qigong exercise group and the control group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Alessio HM. Exercise-induced oxidative stress. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1993;25:218–224. - PubMed
    1. American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription. 10th ed. Philadelphia (PA): Wolters Kluwer; 2018.
    1. Andrade FH, Reid MB, Westerblad H. Contractile response of skeletal muscle to low peroxide concentrations: myofibrillar calcium sensitivity as a likely target for redox-modulation. FASEB J. 2001;15:309–311. - PubMed
    1. Arslan C. Relationship between the 30-second wingate test and characteristics of isometric and explosive leg strength in young subjects. J Strength Cond Res. 2005;19:658–666. - PubMed
    1. Benzie IF, Strain JJ. The ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) as a measure of “antioxidant power”: the FRAP assay. Anal Biochem. 1996;239:70–76. - PubMed
-