Influence of Nordic walking with poles with an integrated resistance shock absorber on carbohydrate and lipid metabolic indices and white blood cell subpopulations in postmenopausal women

• DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13643
• Publication Date: 2022-06-30T07:56:13Z
• Authors: Anna Huta-Osiecka; Krystian Wochna; Rafał Stemplewski; Katarzyna Marciniak; Tomasz Podgórski; Zbigniew Kasprzak; Piotr Leszczyński; Alicja Nowak
• Keywords: Physical activity; QH301-705.5; Nordic Walking; R; Insulins; Walking; Insulin sensitivity; Kinesiology; Postmenopausal women; 3. Good health; Lipid profile; Postmenopause; 03 medical and health sciences; Glucose; 0302 clinical medicine; 5. Gender equality; Leukocytes; Medicine; Humans; Female; Vitamin D; Biology (General); Nordic walking; Calcifediol

Background Regular and individualised physical activities have been shown to prevent adverse changes associated with the aging process. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and white blood cell (WBC) subpopulations in postmenopausal women participating in Nordic walking (NW) training and to compare the use of poles with an integrated resistance shock absorber (RSA) with the use of classic poles.

Materials & Methods A total of 23 postmenopausal women participated in a 8-week programme of systematic physical activity between February and April. Before and after the training programme, somatic features and serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, glucose, and insulin, were assessed, as well as lipid profile and WBC count and its specific subpopulations.

Results Analysis of differences in somatic features and biochemical indices before and after training in the group of women who used RSA poles showed significant decreases in fat mass content (p < 0.05), insulin (p < 0.05), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (p < 0.05), triglycerides (p < 0.05), total cholesterol (p < 0.05) and monocytes (p ≤ 0.01). In the group of women who used classic poles (NW), there was a significant decrease in WBC (p ≤ 0.01), lymphocytes (p < 0.05), monocytes (p ≤ 0.01) and granulocytes (p < 0.05).

Conclusion Increasing the training load through the use of RSA poles resulted in greater changes in carbohydrate and lipid metabolic indices compared to the use of classic NW poles. In turn, the more significant effect on WBC and its specific subpopulations count in the NW, compared to the RSA training programme, may indicate that specificity of training load is an important factor in modifying the immune system response.