Abstract
Aims: Oxidative stress contributes to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Recently, we reported that an eight week program of low volume, lower body resistance exercise training in PD is well tolerated and decreases oxidative stress. The present study was designed to examine the effects of a moderate volume and intensity total body resistance exercise program on biomarkers of oxidative stress in subjects with PD. Methods: Seventeen subjects with PD (12 men and 5 women; 65.2±2.0 yrs; Hoehn and Yahr stage I-III) completed a 12 week supervised resistance exercise training program. Exercise sessions were performed twice weekly, and consisted of three sets of 12 repetitions of the isolateral leg press, incline chest press, shoulder press, seated row and latissimus dorsi pulldown, as well as bilateral leg curl and calf press. Resting, fasting blood samples were taken from subjects before and after the intervention and were assayed for markers of oxidative stress [malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyls (PC), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)] and antioxidant status [Trolox-Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC)]. Results: The exercise program was well-tolerated and associated with a significant decrease (24%) in MDA (p=0.02), with a trend towards decreased PC (25%, p=0.09). Although a 12% reduction was noted in H2O2 from pre to post intervention, this change did not reach statistical significance. TEAC was unchanged by the intervention. Conclusions: Moderate volume and intensity resistance exercise training was well tolerated by patients with early to moderate stage PD and may be associated with decreased oxidative stress. Long-term interventions with larger sample sizes are needed to expand upon these findings.