Effects of Progressive Aerobic Training on Serum and Gastric Acylated Ghrelin, IGF-1 and Body Weight in Female Rats

Abstract

Background: It is generally believed that physical activity can lead to increased food intake, whereas some studies state that exercise can have inhibitory effects on appetite and calorie intake. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in the level of gastric and serum ghrelin, body weight, and serum IGF-1 after a period of progressive aerobic training (PAT) in female rats. Methods: After one week of familiarization with treadmill running, 16 adult female rats were randomly assigned to two groups: control (n = 8) and aerobic exercise (n = 8). The exercise protocol consisted of progressive aerobic running on the treadmill for three months (5 days a week). Forty-eight hours after the last exercise session, the animals were sacrificed. Serum levels of ghrelin, IGF-1, and ghrelin content in the gastric tissue were measured using the ELISA method. An Independent t-test was used for comparison of data between the two groups. Results: The results indicated that three months of PAT had no significant effect on gastric (P = 0.51) and serum acylated ghrelin (P = 0.15), weight changes (P = 0.42), and serum IGF-1 (P = 0.56) compared to the control group. Conclusions: Three months of PAT in female animals had no effects on ghrelin level, food intake and weight loss, and serum IGF-1 level. It seems that there are sex-specific hormonal and appetite responses to progressive aerobic training.