Research code: رساله دکتری
Ethics code: IR.IAU.NEYSHABUR.REC.1403.022
, r.khajeie@gmail.com
Abstract: (504 Views)
Background & Aims: One of the factors associated with health in the general population is an active lifestyle and regular exercise (3, 4 Resistance training has been shown to be a popular and safe exercise modality for health-related goals across a range of ages, including middle age and old age (6-8). Resistance training is considered a promising intervention for preventing or delaying cognitive decline (9). However, research in this area is limited. Another intervention that researchers recommend, along with resistance training activities, is the use of sports supplements. Creatine is one of the most popular types of sports supplements, which has been shown to improve muscle strength, muscle hypertrophy, and power performance (10). While creatine supplementation is widely used to enhance athletic performance and promote overall health, it has also garnered growing interest for its potential cognitive benefits ( 11 , 12 ). Previous research has shown that resistance training (9) and creatine supplementation (11, 12) have positive effects on cognitive performance. On the other hand, it seems that participating in resistance training programs and taking creatine supplements can help improve the performance of participants in brain games. However, no study has directly examined the effects of exercise and dietary supplementation on concentration in these individuals, which indicates the need for the present study. Based on the above, the aim of the present study was to determine the effect of resistance training combined with creatine phosphate supplementation on the attentional performance of middle-aged men while playing the Mafia game.
Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 36 middle-aged men living in Mashhad were selected through convenience sampling based on the inclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria included good general health, no supplement use in the past six months, no specific underlying disease, being 40 to 50 years old, having a body mass index between 20 and 25 kg/m2, having participated in mafia games for at least one year, and regularly performing weight training programs in the past year. The exclusion criteria included not participating in mafia games, not participating in training programs for more than 2 consecutive sessions, not taking creatine supplements, participating in another training program, and experiencing musculoskeletal injury during training sessions. After the final selection of participants, they were divided into three groups: resistance training + supplement use, resistance training + placebo use, and control by simple randomization. By measuring research variables before and after the mafia game, participants were randomly divided into three groups: resistance training + supplement (n=12), resistance training + placebo (n=12), and control (n=12) The training program was completed for twelve weeks, with a frequency of three sessions per week at an intensity of 70 to 85% of one repetition maximum. After the end of the training intervention and with a 48-hour rest, the pre-test tests were measured again in the follow-up or post-test phase. Thus, the pre-test variables were measured and recorded again before and after the mafia game. In this study, the creatine hydrochloride supplement ConCret, produced in the United States, was used. For the supplement + resistance training group, the dosage was 3 grams per day, which was consumed 30 minutes before each training session on training days and at the same time before training on non-training days (17). The placebo group used maltodextrin under the same conditions. The supplements were packaged and delivered to each participant weekly. Participants were asked to bring the packets containing the supplement and placebo with them to the training location and consume them 30 minutes before training. They were also reminded by phone to ensure they did not forget to bring the supplement and placebo. For data analysis, the repeated measures analysis of variance test was used for significance between groups, as well as the Bonferroni post hoc test for comparison of paired groups.
Results: In the first (acute) phase, no significant difference was observed between the groups. In the second phase, a significant decrease in the concentration of the control group was observed compared to the resistance training + supplement group, but no significant difference was observed compared to the resistance training + placebo group. Also, no significant difference was observed between the resistance training + placebo group and the resistance training + supplement group.
Conclusion: This study aimed to investigate the effects of resistance training and creatine hydrochloride supplementation on professional Mafia players. The results obtained indicate that the Mafia game has reduced concentration due to high mental involvement in making the right decision to win the game in this challenge. The results of concentration in the second stage show that there is a significant decrease between the resistance training + supplement and resistance training + placebo groups, as well as between the resistance training + supplement and control groups, but there is no significant difference between the resistance training + placebo and control groups. On the other hand, the results within the group show a significant decrease in pre-test-post-test in all groups. The percentage changes in both groups show that there was an increase in progress from 1.9% to 3.8% for the resistance training + supplement group. For the resistance training + placebo group, it was 3.4% and 3.3%, and for the control group, it was 4.2% compared to 5.1%. There is evidence that participation in sports activities improves or delays fatigue and thus improves concentration (21, 22). The theory of processing efficiency predicts that physical training can increase the resources needed to maintain cognitive performance even when the level of performance is not affected (23). Although this study used a brain game such as Mafia, it is possible that resistance training adaptations, albeit small, prevent further impairment of cognitive performance in the Mafia game. In fact, cognitive enhancement helps the neural process involved in the acquisition, processing, retention, and application of information, and these adaptations help the individual's cognitive performance in planning and decision-making (2, 26). It seems that resistance training has a positive effect on cognitive and neural function by creating adaptations that increase cerebral blood flow, increase arousal, neurogenesis and angiogenesis, and release of neurotrophins (26). The results showed that during the second phase of the Mafia game, adaptation to creatine supplementation along with resistance training reduced the level of concentration, although it did not completely eliminate the decremental trend. It is possible that the improvement in attention in the resistance training group with creatine supplementation was due to the reduction in fatigue during mental activity in the Mafia game. However, a recent meta-analysis showed that creatine supplementation did not have a significant effect on attention; this indicates that although individual studies show different degrees of effect, creatine supplementation does not have a significant positive effect on attention when considered as a whole (11). This is while the effect of supplementation along with resistance training was found in the present study; also, the subjects of the present study included people who regularly played the Mafia game as a leisure activity related to mental performance. Based on the results, it can be said that creatine consumption and resistance training can prevent further decrease in concentration in intellectual games such as Mafia.
Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 36 middle-aged men living in Mashhad were selected through convenience sampling based on the inclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria included good general health, no supplement use in the past six months, no specific underlying disease, being 40 to 50 years old, having a body mass index between 20 and 25 kg/m2, having participated in mafia games for at least one year, and regularly performing weight training programs in the past year. The exclusion criteria included not participating in mafia games, not participating in training programs for more than 2 consecutive sessions, not taking creatine supplements, participating in another training program, and experiencing musculoskeletal injury during training sessions. After the final selection of participants, they were divided into three groups: resistance training + supplement use, resistance training + placebo use, and control by simple randomization. By measuring research variables before and after the mafia game, participants were randomly divided into three groups: resistance training + supplement (n=12), resistance training + placebo (n=12), and control (n=12) The training program was completed for twelve weeks, with a frequency of three sessions per week at an intensity of 70 to 85% of one repetition maximum. After the end of the training intervention and with a 48-hour rest, the pre-test tests were measured again in the follow-up or post-test phase. Thus, the pre-test variables were measured and recorded again before and after the mafia game. In this study, the creatine hydrochloride supplement ConCret, produced in the United States, was used. For the supplement + resistance training group, the dosage was 3 grams per day, which was consumed 30 minutes before each training session on training days and at the same time before training on non-training days (17). The placebo group used maltodextrin under the same conditions. The supplements were packaged and delivered to each participant weekly. Participants were asked to bring the packets containing the supplement and placebo with them to the training location and consume them 30 minutes before training. They were also reminded by phone to ensure they did not forget to bring the supplement and placebo. For data analysis, the repeated measures analysis of variance test was used for significance between groups, as well as the Bonferroni post hoc test for comparison of paired groups.
Results: In the first (acute) phase, no significant difference was observed between the groups. In the second phase, a significant decrease in the concentration of the control group was observed compared to the resistance training + supplement group, but no significant difference was observed compared to the resistance training + placebo group. Also, no significant difference was observed between the resistance training + placebo group and the resistance training + supplement group.
Conclusion: This study aimed to investigate the effects of resistance training and creatine hydrochloride supplementation on professional Mafia players. The results obtained indicate that the Mafia game has reduced concentration due to high mental involvement in making the right decision to win the game in this challenge. The results of concentration in the second stage show that there is a significant decrease between the resistance training + supplement and resistance training + placebo groups, as well as between the resistance training + supplement and control groups, but there is no significant difference between the resistance training + placebo and control groups. On the other hand, the results within the group show a significant decrease in pre-test-post-test in all groups. The percentage changes in both groups show that there was an increase in progress from 1.9% to 3.8% for the resistance training + supplement group. For the resistance training + placebo group, it was 3.4% and 3.3%, and for the control group, it was 4.2% compared to 5.1%. There is evidence that participation in sports activities improves or delays fatigue and thus improves concentration (21, 22). The theory of processing efficiency predicts that physical training can increase the resources needed to maintain cognitive performance even when the level of performance is not affected (23). Although this study used a brain game such as Mafia, it is possible that resistance training adaptations, albeit small, prevent further impairment of cognitive performance in the Mafia game. In fact, cognitive enhancement helps the neural process involved in the acquisition, processing, retention, and application of information, and these adaptations help the individual's cognitive performance in planning and decision-making (2, 26). It seems that resistance training has a positive effect on cognitive and neural function by creating adaptations that increase cerebral blood flow, increase arousal, neurogenesis and angiogenesis, and release of neurotrophins (26). The results showed that during the second phase of the Mafia game, adaptation to creatine supplementation along with resistance training reduced the level of concentration, although it did not completely eliminate the decremental trend. It is possible that the improvement in attention in the resistance training group with creatine supplementation was due to the reduction in fatigue during mental activity in the Mafia game. However, a recent meta-analysis showed that creatine supplementation did not have a significant effect on attention; this indicates that although individual studies show different degrees of effect, creatine supplementation does not have a significant positive effect on attention when considered as a whole (11). This is while the effect of supplementation along with resistance training was found in the present study; also, the subjects of the present study included people who regularly played the Mafia game as a leisure activity related to mental performance. Based on the results, it can be said that creatine consumption and resistance training can prevent further decrease in concentration in intellectual games such as Mafia.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Exercise Physiology
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