Effect of folk dance training on blood oxidative stress level and lipid and lipoproteins

Folk dance is a form of physical activity which provides the ability to use the whole body in a coordinated form with music, and these characteristics vary according to geographic region. Aims of the study were to evaluate the effects of 12-week folk dance training on blood oxidative stress levels, lipids and lipoproteins and muscle damage markers and also to define some physical and physiological properties of dancers. Thirty eight healthy men folk dancers, between the ages of 21-24 and having an average of 11 years of dance training background, voluntarily participated in the study. Some physical and physiological measurements, blood oxidative stress markers (serum TAS, TOS and OSI) and lipid and lipoprotein levels (TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C), muscle damage markers (LDH, CK, ALT, AST) were measured two times, before and after the training period which consists of different regions dances (Caucasus, Bar, Zeybek, Spoon, Thrace and Horon) 2 hours for every day and totally 10 hours on a week. All blood values of folk dancers were found within the specified reference ranges and training program had no significant effect on the blood lipid profile, whereas it was found improving effect on body fatness (p≤ 0.012), peak oxygen capacity (p=0.000), muscle damage marker (for CK, ∆%= ─19.6) and total antioxidant capacity (TAS and OSI, p≤ 0.002). It may be said that folk dance is not required sport-specific physical and physiological characteristics and in the case that doing training regularly, it may ensure improvement on body fatness, peak VO2, blood total antioxidant capacity and muscle damage markers on dancers. Based on these results, it may be ensured folk dance to be a kind of popular physical activity to all community. Key words: Folk dance, body fat ratio, heart rate, creatine kinase, blood lipid and lipoproteins, total antioxidant status.