Abstract
We investigated the early effects of whole body vibration (WBV) added to hypocaloric
diet on insulin-resistance and other parameters associated with glucose regulation
in sedentary obese individuals. We randomly assigned 34 patients to WBV plus hypocaloric
diet (WBV group) or diet alone (CON group) for 8 weeks. Fasting and post-load glucose,
insulin, lipids, C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-α, leptin, adiponectin
were assessed. Insulin sensitivity index (ISI) was derived from oral-glucose-tolerance
test. Body composition was evaluated with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Both groups
lost approximately 5% of weight, with greater reduction of body fat in WBV than in
CON (−7.1±1.2 Kg vs. −5.3±1.0 Kg, p=0.003). Percent variation of ISI was more pronounced
in WBV than in CON group (+35±4% vs. + 22±5%, p=0.002), accompanied by slight improvement
in post-load glucose (−1.07±0.02 vs. − 0.12±0.01 mmol/l, p=0.031) but without changes
in fasting levels. Adiponectin significantly increased in WBV group compared with
CON (p=0.021 for comparison) whereas no differences in leptin and inflammatory markers
were observed. In middle-aged sedentary obese subjects, WBV added to hypocaloric diet
for 8 weeks improved body composition, insulin-resistance, glucose regulation and
adiponectin levels to a greater extent compared with diet alone. Efficacy and feasibility
of this approach in the long term need to be ascertained.
Key word
whole body vibration - obesity - insulin-resistance - rehabilitation
