The Effect of Eight-Week Aerobic Exercises on Vascular Cellular Adhesion Molecule-1, Intracellular Adhesion Molecule and Body Composition of Addicts Treated with Methadone

Drug consumption and addiction lead to serious cardiovascular diseases as well as inflammation. Cellular adhesion molecules are glycoproteins that mediate a leukocyte reaction to inflammation. This study aims to determine the effect of aerobic exercises on some cardiovascular factors in addicts treated with methadone.

This is a semi-experimental research. To conduct this research, 30 male addicted patients treated with methadone with a mean age of 33.53±15.42 years, 70.06±15.42kg weight and 174.8±5.69cm were selected after medical screening and randomly divided into experimental (n=16) and control (n=16) groups. First, the height, weight and body mass index (BMI) of participants in both groups were measured. Blood samples were taken from the subjects in order to measure the intercellular adhesion molecules 1 (sICAM) and cellular vascular adhesion 1 (sVCAM) in serum. The experimental group had an aerobic exercise program including use of a treadmill with a 40 to 50% maximum heart rate in the beginning and then, a 70 to 80% maximum heart rate. The control group had only a follow-up. After 8 weeks, all variables were measured in both groups. Correlated t-test and independent t-test were used for intragroup and intergroup comparisons (P<0.05).

Results showed that after 8 weeks aerobic exercises, there was no significant difference in ICAM-1 (P=0.397), VCAM-1 (P=0.521), and BMI (P=0.223).

Although 8-weeks aerobic exercise was not effective and sufficient for BMI, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 indicators of the addicts treated with methadone, but it reduced ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in the exercise group.