The Effect of 4 Weeks of Continuous Exercises with Abdominal Fat Tissue Massage on Body Composition Changes in Overweight People: A Pilot Study

Moein  Fasihiyan; Saber  Niazi; Tahereh  Hozouri; Maryam  Nourshahi; Fariborz  Hovanloo

doi:10.18502/ijdo.v16i4.17291

Moein Fasihiyan Department of Biological Sciences in Sport and Health, Faculty of Sport Sciences and health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
Saber Niazi Department of Exercise physiology, Faculty of Physical education and sport science, kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.
Tahereh Hozouri Department of Biological Sciences in Sport and Health, Faculty of Sport Sciences and health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
Maryam Nourshahi Department of Biological Sciences in Sport and Health, Faculty of Sport Sciences and health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
Fariborz Hovanloo Department of Health & Sport Rehabilitation, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijdo.v16i4.17291

Keywords: Massage, Obesity, Lipolysis, Exercise, Abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of 4 weeks of continuous exercise combined withabdominal fat tissue massage on body composition in overweight individuals.

Materials and Methods: Twenty-two participants (mean (±SD) age 28(±3) years; BMI 27.5 (±1.7)) wererandomly divided into three groups: continuous training (CT, N= 7), continuous training with massage (CT+MA,N= 8), and massage only (MA, N= 7). The massage groups received 15-minute abdominal massages three timesa week. The CT+MA group performed moderate continuous training at 50-60% VO2peak for 45 minutes afterthe massage. The CT group followed the same training protocol without massage. Body composition wasassessed before and after the intervention, measuring fat percentage, waist to hip ratio (WHR), abdominal hipcircumference, weight, and abdominal skinfold thickness.

Results: The PBF, WHR, and skinfold thickness values in the abdominal area of the CT+MA group had asignificant decrease compared to MA and CT groups.

Conclusion: The results suggest that abdominal massage before exercise enhances lipolysis and spot fatreduction in the massage area, probably by increasing blood supply to subcutaneous fat tissue. This interventioncould be a practical approach to boost lipolysis in future research.