Effects of Qigong on Muscle Strengths and Antioxidant Responses in Young Sedentary Females
November 25, 2020 - 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. A study conducted in Thailand and recently published by the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation 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 or to the control group. After 8 weeks of Qigong training, back and leg strength was significantly improved compared to baseline and the control group. Plasma oxidative stress levels were reduced and total antioxidant capacity was enhanced in the Qigong group compared to the control group. 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.