Francis Lopes Pacagnelli et al. Andreo Fernando Aguiar Letícia Estevam Engel Antônio Cláudio Bongiovani Mariana Janini Gomes
The article entitled “Intermittent diet regulates physical exercise induced cardiac remodeling” presents relevant information concerning the effects of physical exercise (PE) on cardiac remodeling, functional capacity, nutritional behavior, and glycemic metabolism. The authors also analyzed the expression of proteins related to cellular differentiation and cardiac remodeling, such as extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), to determine the possible molecular mechanisms associated with the effects of intermittent diet and PE. The main findings were that: (1) PE increased functional capacity when isolated or combined with an intermittent diet, (2) prescription of an intermittent diet increased glycemic tolerance during PE programs, (3) intermittent diet was able to reduce cardiac remodeling induced by PE.
It is worth highlighting that this study used an experimental model from Wistar rats to mimic an intermittent diet during a long-term PE program (12 weeks). The advantage of animal experiments involving nutritional and physical interventions is the possibility of controlling the confounding variables that can affect the internal validity of the study, such as food intake, lifestyle, and motivation for physical training. In addition, animal models allow for the analysis of morphological, functional, and molecular aspects of cardiac muscle, which enables a more in-depth study of the mechanisms related to the diverse treatments and physical and nutritional interventions. Therefore, the results of this study are highly consistent and relevant for the understanding and improvement of prescribed PE programs, whether when isolated or associated with intermittent diet. The study also reveals a new path for research involving the effects of PE on functional and morphological aspects of cardiac remodeling, and the role intermittent diet in modulating these effects.
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