542 The impact of specific balneotherapy on the endocrine physiopathological mechanism in obesity

Abstract

Abstract: Obesity is a complex, multifactorial metabolic pathology, within the path of
modification of the endocrine system plays a significant role. Changes in growth hormone
(GH) and in‐sulin growth factor (IGF) have been associated with obesity in various ways,
mainly through changes in GH‐binding proteins, insulin and ghrelin levels. The balneal
treat‐ment with Techirghiol Romanian sapropelic mud has an important impact on the
endo‐crine system, primarily through the action on the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal
axis. We investigated the secretory changes of the IGF‐1 hormone that appeared after the
balne‐al treatment. It was a total number of 52 patients, divided into two groups: 1 group
who performed the treatment with Techirghiol sapropelic mud at thermoneutrality
tempera‐tures ‐ warm mud baths, and the second group who followed treatment with the
balneal therapeutic factor in a thermal contrast regime ‐ cold mud baths. We studied
whether there are correlations between the body mass index (BMI) and the secretion of
this hor‐mone. We also determined the serum levels of blood glucose at admission and
discharge. In the cold mud baths‐ thermal contrast therapy, can be observed a statistically
significant increase in IGF‐1 values during the balneal treatment (p = 0.044 < α = 0.05).
Comparative‐ly, in the warm mud baths, the increase in serum IGF‐1 reached values close
to statistical significance at the end of the treatment (p = 0.067 > α = 0.05). There were no
statistically significant correlations between BMI and IGF‐1 hormone secretion at
admission and at discharge. The results showed a statistically significant decrease in
blood glucose values determined at admission and discharge in the group that performed
warm mud baths. The balneal treatment with sapropelic mud of Techirghiol lake, from
Romania, through the impact on the endocrine system, on the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐
adrenal axis, can be registered as a treatment with a natural therapeutic factor with an
impact on obesity, ther‐apy carried out within the parameters of metabolic safety, and the
conduct of future re‐search in this direction it will help develop new concepts and
approaches to obesity.

Keywords: obesity, endocrine system, IGF‐1, mud therapy, balneotherapy