Physical education on the couch
Biomechanical stimulation can replace sports
Dina Mingalieva, Mednovosti, based on the Endocrine Society: Whole-body vibration may be as effective as regular exercise
An interesting study was published in the journal Endocrinology (McGee-Lawrence et al., Whole-body vibration mimics the metabolic effects of exercise in male leptin receptor deficient mice). It compares the benefits of biomechanical stimulation with regular sports, a procedure for passive muscle training by exposure to mechanical waves of a certain length and frequency. Preliminary results of the study suggest that this innovative invention can defeat obesity and prevent diabetes.
Obesity is becoming a serious problem. As the American Center for Disease Control puts it, "obesity is widespread, serious and costly." Diabetes is just one of the negative health consequences of obesity. One of the best ways to combat this ailment is physical activity, but many for these or other reasons do not manage to regularly devote time to physical activity.
A team of scientists from Augusta University, Georgia, decided to study a potential alternative to sports – biomechanical stimulation (BMS). During the procedure, the patient stands, sits or lies on a device with a vibrating platform. The mechanism vibrates and passes energy through the body, and the muscles contract and relax. By the way, the European Space Agency is studying the potential of BMS to support the muscle mass of astronauts during long flights.
Scientists from Georgia studied the effect of the procedure on mice. Five-week-old mice participated in the study. 50% were normal, and the rest were genetically insensitive to leptin. Leptin is a hormone responsible for the feeling of satiety; animals without a reaction to leptin are predisposed to overeating, and therefore to obesity with diabetes.
The mice were divided into three groups: in one, the mice underwent the BMS procedure, the participants of the second group ran daily in a wheel, and the representatives of the third did not do any exercises at all. The study lasted three months. Every week the animals were weighed.
At the end of the experiment, genetically obese mice showed progress from both exercise and BMS. The mice still weighed more than normal individuals, but gained less weight as a result of sports and biomechanical stimulation. Both increased muscle mass and insulin sensitivity.
It is not assumed that BMS should completely replace sports, but it can play an important role for patients who either cannot train or do not train enough. However, the head of the study, Megan McGee-Lawrence, says that the results should be interpreted with caution, because the procedure has yet to be seriously tested in humans.
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17.03.2017