Aerobic exercise does not change C-reactive protein levels in non-obese patients with obstructive sleep apnoea.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of a 2-month aerobic exercise training programme on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in non-obese patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. Twenty non-obese and sedentary adult male volunteers underwent polysomnography (PSG) to assess their sleep parameters. After the PSG analysis, the subjects were divided into two groups (CTRL, control and OSA, obstructive sleep apnoea). Twenty-four sessions of aerobic exercise were performed, and PSG was repeated on the night that followed the last physical training session (24th). Blood samples were collected for CRP analysis before the first exercise session and after the last session. The OSA group demonstrated a reduction in sleep latency (SL) after 2 months of physical exercise, and 80% of them showed a lower apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI), although this difference was not statistically significant. The differences between the CRP values for the CTRL and OSA groups were also not statistically significant at baseline or after 2 months of physical exercise. Furthermore, there was no correlation between the CRP levels and body mass index (BMI) in the two groups assessed. Our results suggest that in non-obese patients with OSA, CRP levels were normal and did not change after 2 months of aerobic exercise training.

The effects of physical exercise on the serum iron profile in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the profile of serum iron in spontaneously hypertensive rats after an aerobic physical exercise. To accomplish this, 12 normotensive Wistar rats and 12 spontaneously hypertensive rats were distributed into "physical exercise" and "no physical exercise" groups. The animals in the physical exercise group underwent to an aerobic exercise for a total of 4 weeks. Blood was collected for the analysis of iron. Our results indicate that rats of the physical exercise group had significantly lower serum iron levels after the aerobic exercise protocol compared to the spontaneously hypertensive rats no physical exercise group (F ((3,16)) = 4.4915, p < 0.01). No significant difference was found between no physical exercise groups. The results indicated that the difference in iron may be due to an increased demand for iron, prompted by chronic physical exercise. In addition, erythrocytosis has been associated with increased blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats, suggesting that iron reduction may be related to decreased blood pressure in these animals.