Researchers have discovered a therapy that appears to delay age-related muscle loss and also help reduce body fat
It is the dream of many: to obtain the benefits of a workout, without the slightest effort. A dream which, mind you, will remain such for young people, but which could instead have some chance of coming true for those who have passed the antaas stated in a study by the University of Singapore published in the scientific journal Aging. What is it about?
Some researchers have found that undergoing magnetic muscle therapy, once a week, could delay age-related losses in muscle strength. And after 12 weeks, the volunteers who underwent the therapy also saw functional mobility improve and body fat decreased.
More strength, less fat in 10 minutes: the study
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The scientists recruited 101 participants aged between 38 and 91, who agreed to undergo theweekly exposure to low-level pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) as part of a muscle recovery therapy. Eighty-seven percent of the participants had pre-existing motor dysfunction and 13% were healthy individuals. All were administered the proprietary therapy Speak up for 10 minutes once a week on alternate legs every week, for a period of about 3 months. Before each session, the researchers collected data on each participant’s body composition, such as weight, skeletal muscle mass, body fat mass, and visceral fat area. The discovery was that after 8 weeks of treatment, 72% of participants reported improvement in skeletal muscle maintenance along with reductions in total and visceral fatand 85% of them showed improvements in functional mobility (most significantly in the elderly).
Increased muscle strength and reduced fat: the results of the research
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The results obtained – according to the scientists – provide evidence that a specific technology, based on the pulsed electromagnetic field, could be a valid therapy to reduce frailty and metabolic disorders in the elderly population. Not to mention that visceral fat, which PEMF appears to affect, is associated with a wide range of metabolic disorders, including diabetes. “We are very pleased with the positive results of this trial,” admits Alfredo Franco-Obregón of the National University of Singapore. “The improvements associated with PEMF were seen by 85% of the participants, regardless of age, with the greatest benefits reported in older and more frail participants. Our results suggest that this therapy can produce results comparable to exercise in older people and thus holds potential therapeutic value for the senjor adult population.” The researchers published the testimonies of the volunteers who underwent the study: “Before the BIXEPS program, I had a lot of weakness in my legs. I felt pain in my hip and feet when I took even a few steps. I couldn’t climb the stairs in the normal way and had to rely on the handrails to keep me balanced,” admitted a 79-year-old retiree. “By the end of 12 sessions, I felt my leg movement was back to normal and I could go up and down stairs without using the handrails.”
Conclusions
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Encouraged by the results, the Singaporean scientists now intend expand the research with further clinical trials. The team is already collaborating with research groups in the United States and Hong Kong to conduct large-scale randomized controlled trials and validate the technology‘s benefits on frailty in a wider range of elderly populations. As a first step, a study of 200 seniors in 4 care centers was initiated to evaluate how technology can improve function and relieve chronic pain. The result should already arrive by the end of the year. When one should have even greater certainty of the potential of PEMF-based therapies to manage diabetes progression.
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