The Effect of Eight Weeks of Water Training on Sirt1, Pgc-1α and Body Fat Percentage in Obese Men

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: SIRT1 and PGC-1α are two factors that increase the body's antioxidant capacity, which can improve inflammation and free radicals in obesity. The present study was conducted to determine the effect of eight weeks of water training on SIRT1, PGC-1α and body fat percentage in obese men. METHODS: In this quasi-experimental study, obese men (BMI = 30, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) > 0.5) were selected voluntarily and were randomly divided into two groups of water training (n = 11) and control (n = 11). The training program included three sessions per week for eight weeks with training intensity of 60 to 80% of maximal heart rate. BMI, body fat percentage and weight of subjects were examined before and after the intervention. Arterial blood samples were used to measure SIRT1 and PGC-1α during the pre-test and post-test stages. FINDINGS: The assessments showed that PGC-1α levels increased from 7.7 to 8.7 and SIRT1 levels increased from 11.3 to 12.6, and this increase was significant in the training group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). The results showed that body fat percentage decreased from 30.2 to 27.83 and weight decreased from 94.7 to 92.2, which was significant compared to the control group (p