Effects of whole body electrostiming exercises applied in EMS salons on some health-related blood and urine parameters

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the effects of WB-EMS (whole-body electrical muscle stimulation), which has gained significant popularity in recent years, on certain health-related blood and urine markers. Method: This study investigates the effects of WB-EMS applications on certain health-related blood and urine markers. Physically active adults aged between 18 and 44 years who had not previously participated in WB-EMS sessions volunteered for this research. Changes in blood and urine markers were monitored by taking samples on the exercise day and every day thereafter for 72 hours. To evaluate the acute effects of WB-EMS applications, participants were assigned to either the WB-EMS training group (EMSg) or the traditional training group (ANTg). To assess muscle damage, blood samples were collected before the application, and at 24, 48, and 72 hours post-exercise, measuring creatine kinase (CK), myoglobin (MYB), and urinary myoglobin. To examine liver damage, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured. Blood lipid parameters were assessed using high-density lipoprotein (HDL), total cholesterol, and triglycerides (TG). To evaluate kidney function, urinary potassium, hematuria, and cystatin C levels were examined. Results: When examining the effects of WB-EMS training on blood and urine parameters, a significant increase in CK levels over time was observed (F = 10.57, p = 0.003, η² = 0.149), indicating that the EMSg group experienced more muscle damage compared to the ANTg group. HDL levels also showed a significant increase in the EMSg group (F = 10.676, p = 0.003, η² = 0.15). Myoglobin levels exhibited a significant time-dependent increase in the EMSg group (84.62%). Findings revealed that CK values in some individuals approached levels associated with rhabdomyolysis. Conclusion: The results of our study indicate that WB-EMS applications cause high muscle damage. While this training method may be seen as advantageous for performance enhancement, the very high CK values observed in some participants suggest a potential risk of rhabdomyolysis.